Georgia's Mississippian

[EMP]

I've had the opportunity to collect in some Mississipian-aged units in Georgia recently. Like neighboring Alabama and Tennessee, Georgia's Mississippian is made up mostly of non-clastic rocks, chiefly limestone and chert, with a few notable exceptions such as the Floyd Shale and Hartselle Sandstone. Although other states might be better known for their Mississippian fauna, Georgia boasts many of the same fossils, and can be a good source for them if you can find the right exposure. 

 

So far, I've collected in a few different formations in Georgia; the Fort Payne Chert, the Floyd Shale, what I believe is the St. Louis Limestone, the Hartselle Sandstone, and the Pennington Formation. 

 

 

 

This is a beautiful, large horn coral, from what I believe is the St. Louis Limestone.

 

 

An intricately preserved productid brachiopod, also from the St. Louis.

 

 

A large spiriferid brachiopod from the St. Louis.

 

 

Another large spiriferid from the St. Louis.

 

 

And another.

 

 

I believe this is a fish/shark tooth in a large block of crinoidal St. Louis Limestone.

 

 

A well-weathered ammonoid from the St. Louis. 

 

 

Multiple corals in a piece of St. Louis Limestone, with a nickel for scale. 

 

 

I believe a part of a trilobite hypostome?

 

 

Abundant fenestrate bryozoans from the Hartselle Sandstone.

 

 

A pelycopod from the Floyd Shale.

 

 

A small spiriferid from the Floyd Shale.

 

 

And another.

 

 

Not really sure, but it's from the Floyd Shale. Maybe genal spines or something?

 

Thanks for reading!

[EMP]

 

Another cool ammonoid from the St. Louis Limestone. 

[MeargleSchmeargl]

I've been fossil hunting a good bit in NW Georgia, but I've never heard of Ammonoids as being a possibility. Guess I need to do a bit more reading!