Unfortunately, No One Can Be Told What The Matrix Is. You Have To See It For Yourself.

[brachiomyback]

Work brought me to Kentucky about three months ago, just south of Cincinnati / across the Ohio River. Because of airfare costs / logistics I ended up having to make the eight hour journey north via vehicle. The only upside was I got to drive through some beautiful states / areas (Interstate 40 west through the North Carolina mountains range, Tennessee and then up north on Interstate 75).

I researched online on some potential fossil locations and decided to try a popular road cut collecting area that exposes the Kope (Eden) Formation along Orphanage Road in Kenton County. While getting directions to the site on http://www.mapquest.com/, I noticed (when switched to the aerial view) an area further northeast that looked similar to a gravel pit. This area sparked my curiosity.

I usually try to get a "feel" for an area before I visited it via the "Bird's Eye View" at http://maps.live.com/. Fortunately I was able to switch over to a "Bird's Eye" view to get a better perspective of this area. The "Bird's Eye" aerial views are usually available for urban areas (with some coverage in Europe). When I did this, the "gravel pit" area was depicted as the completed commercial development a Wal-Mart.

I noticed a fresh "road cut" exposure just behind the Wal-Mart. Additional "googling" showed a few trilobites have been found in this Ordovician formation. Considering it was a newer exposure and not along a major roadway / traffic, I decided to focus on the Wal-Mart formation and find my first trilobite.

The closer I was to completing my journey, the more interstate road cuts I saw. I kept wondering what kind of fossils I kept on passing. This was causing my fossil hunting fever to reach a critical level. I finally arrived early evening with a couple of hours of daylight left. My first impression was that this was a big exposure and being a geologist (….no, but I have stayed at a Holiday Inn Express) I wasn't sure where to focus my efforts on. Some loose sections of the exposure could be chipped into thin sheets like shale / siltstone. I did find some crinoid columns ("stems") in the matrix on a few pieces. Other sections were so hard that it was apparent I didn't have the right equipment. One strong "whack" with my Home Depot mattock snapped the pointed end right off (cheap metal… need to invest in a real rock hammer).

I noticed another fossil collector / rock hound further down the exposure and decided to make my presence known. "Phil" was a local who recently moved from Illinois (my former homestead) and it was also his first time at the site. We chatted for a while and then went back to what we both came for.

It was getting dark and I decided to check out another exposure behind an area shopping center that he recommended. His directions were perfect and in five minutes I was there. This formation was at a higher elevated exposure / formation that was similar to the one I collected in Nashville, expect this one had more Rafinesquina brachiopods and in much better condition. Some of these were fragile and as thin as a dime. Most were complete specimens that were compliments of months of weathering from the prior fall / winter season. I also found a couple Platystrophia brachiopods and a cephalopod partial.

After completing my job the following day I had time to check out the formations in the higher elevations behind Wal-Mart. I knew that access could obtained from a dead end roadway via review of the "Bird's Eye View". These areas had "pockets" of weathered / exposed crinoids. It brought back memories as a child when I used to pick through the rocks along gravel roadways to find them, which I called Indian Beads back then. These weren't the fat short ones I was used to, but rather very small / delicate thin specimens. I almost wished I brought some tweezers to pick them up.

I made my way east and continued till I was finally behind Wal-Mart with similar pockets found here and there. I then noticed someone yelling at me way down below asking, what I thought was, if I was finding anything. I screamed back, "Yes, fossils!!" I couldn't quite make out what he replied and decided just to repeat myself. The guy then started to walk away and I returned to scanning the terrain for little treasures. Five minutes later, Phil snuck up behind me and dang near gave me a heart attack. I was in a peaceful zone just picking up crinoids when I heard in a loud labored voice (he sped hiked up the hill), "What did you find!?" (Earlier I saw a monster deer double imprint in the mud that almost look like a bear foot print, because it was weathered). At first if gave me the willies, but I did have my cell and my mattock. I just didn't expect to be surprised by any "company" up on the secluded hillside.

After getting my share of crinoids we both decided to hunt back down along the lowest formations. I didn't find my first trilobite; however, did find a couple of partial trilobite exoskeleton molts in some crinoid matrixes, a couple cephalopods and some other interesting crinoid matrix plates. At least I had to squeeze in some fossil hunting and share part of it along with another certifiable fossil hunter. Phil found an awesome crinoid matrix that was the size of a brick. It was so dense with crinoids the only way I could describe it was like a bundled up wad of pipe cleaners. I was too amazed by it and forgot to take a picture of it but he later e-mailed me a picture of it. He was also kind enough to give me a couple of horn coral fossils that he recently collected from another local site that logistically I couldn't squeeze in before my journey home.

I just love this hobby…..

Enjoy

An associated website…

http://www.uga.edu/strata/

[MikeD]

You found a good spot. Looks like I-275 in the background behind Phil. Looks like some pieces of Cryptolithus trilobites in the bottom row, second photo of matrix. If you are still in that area, there are a lot of exposures on the AA on the way to Maysville. Also a huge exposure on River Road down below I-275 by the river.

[Auspex]

"Walmart Formation"...you may be onto something there!

Another excellent trip report; thank you

[Nicholas]

Very nice specimens, I especially like the sea floor matrix showing many different species of animal. This seems like a very good spot.

[Shamalama]

I thought your writing sounded familiar... Have enjoyed your trip reports on the BR site. I like reading them better here.

Checked out the Walmart exposure myself back in May ( I think a week after you) and it seemed to need a few more years of weathering to really start producing. The lower parts of the slopes are Kope and the upper parts are Fairview formation. Not sure where the dividing line is though. I might have met your buddy too as he was scanning the roadcut when I got there and he gave me a nice little Ectenocrinus calyx he found.

Next time you come through Philly drop me a line and I'll take you to some "local" spots.

[Guest N.AL.hunter]

Hasn't this all been posted before? The pictures look familiar.

[brachiomyback]

Hasn't this all been posted before? The pictures look familiar.

Probably seen it posted on the trip report section on my "fossil buddy's" website. I've been getting more familiar "navigating" this site and just wanted to share some of my favorite / better ones here for those who haven't seen them.

- Brad

[mommabetts]

Love the trip report and the fossils, thanks for sharing.

[lordpiney]

if i take the red pill...can i come with you? lol.

[Ramo]

Man, I wish I had a good spots like that behind a WalMart around here. My wife can spend hours (and dollars) in those places. It would give me something to do other than people watch.

[LanceH]

Man, I wish I had a good spots like that behind a WalMart around here. My wife can spend hours (and dollars) in those places. It would give me something to do other than people watch.

Wow! Great stuff.