Jeffrey P Posted June 11 Share Posted June 11 As I wrote in my previous Deep Springs Road Quarry thread, the very next day I was off to Kentucky. Like my other trips there, the purpose was primarily family/social. My father was turning 95. Between spending quality time with family, I was able to visit a couple of my favorite roadcuts exposing Paleozoic marine sediments and collect specimens I don't have access to in New York. The first site I visited was the very first site I was to acquaint myself with in Kentucky years ago. It is located near the town of Leitchfield, about a half hour from my family in Elizabethtown. Years ago, it was my very first exposure to rocks of the Mississippian Age and it has been a favorite ever since. I've visited this site every time I've been to Kentucky in the past seven years. The site, more specifically, is an Upper Mississippian marine site, the Leitchfield Limestone, Glen Dean Member. Since I've been there last year, they've done a bit of work on the road, installed curbs and a sidewalk, severely restricting the offroad parking situation. It also appears they are planting grass which will limit the collecting area. Fortunately, there was enough room to park my car and the collecting area was still open. The weather was pleasant and sunny as I wandered up and down and across the slopes of weathered shale and limestone exploring and searching for specimens. There were a number of rugose corals present, though most were badly weathered I ended up keeping this one- Zaphrentoides spinulosum: 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeffrey P Posted June 11 Author Share Posted June 11 Crinoids and byozoans are the most common fossils at Leitchfield. Bryozoans include the iconic corkscrew-shaped Archimedes, so characteristic of Mississippian Age rocks. There was also the branching bryozoan, Tabulipora, and the fronds of fenestrate bryozoans such as Septopora subquadrons: 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeffrey P Posted June 11 Author Share Posted June 11 (edited) One might say that crinoids are the main event as their stem pieces, calyx plates, and spines are superabundant. Here is a chunk of matrix, three and a quarter inches wide. In the second photo, the partial calyx in matrix at the top is most likely Zeacrinites wortheni. The top row in the middle is the basal plate of the crinoid, Acrocrinus shumerdi. On the bottom row left is a basal plate of Onychocrinus pulaskiensis, The next and last photo features specimens of calyx of the crinoid, Agassizicrinus occidentalis. Edited June 11 by Jeffrey P 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeffrey P Posted June 11 Author Share Posted June 11 In addition to crinoids, blastoids were also abundant. Most were crushed. I ended up keeping a few: 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeffrey P Posted June 11 Author Share Posted June 11 Gastropods tend to be tiny and uncommon. The first photo, the gastropod on the left is unusually big for the site, almost an inch and a quarter. It appears to be an example of Orthonychia conicum. The next two photos are of the same, so far, unidentified platycerid, just over a quarter inch in diameter. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeffrey P Posted June 11 Author Share Posted June 11 Though they are much less abundant than bryozoans and crinoids, brachiopods are common though most are crushed. The small specimens on the bottom of the first photo are the spiriferid brachiopods, Reticulariina spinosa. The one on top, in matrix, is Punctospirifer kentuckiensis. The next photo features specimens of the athyrid brachiopod, Cleiothyridina sublamellosa. The next two photos features specimens that I have yet to identify. The last photo features specimens of Composita subquadrata. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trilobites_are_awesome Posted June 11 Share Posted June 11 Nice finds! Cheers! James Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeffrey P Posted June 11 Author Share Posted June 11 A few days later, I was out again, this time to a roadcut site near Mt. Washington. I don't know the formation, but I do know it is Upper Ordovician, part of the Richmond Group. The weather wasn't so kind that day. There was a big downpour at one point and it was overall pretty muddy. Specimens were abundant in the rocks at the bottom of the cliff, or loose. In one spot the cliff face was literally spitting out fossils. Brachiopods made up over 90% of the fauna here and the vast majority of those were Vilandastrophia ponderosa. I found one split open specimen that was a geode of calcite crystals. I suspect more were like that. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeffrey P Posted June 11 Author Share Posted June 11 Another orthid brachiopod, Herbertella alveata is also present, though much less abundant. The one in the middle is the best one I have ever found. The strophomenid brachiopod, Rafinesquina ponderosa were also there, but usually broken and covered with bryozoans. Finally, a single specimen of the strophomenid, Leptaena richmondensis was also collected. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeffrey P Posted June 11 Author Share Posted June 11 Lastly, I did find a couple of straight-shelled nautiloid pieces, the largest, two and a quarter inches long. In addition, there were a few gastropods and bryozoans. Sorry, no trilobites at either site. Overall, the visit to Kentucky was a good one. Enjoyed myself and added some nice specimens to the collection. Hope you enjoyed this report. Thanks, and have a good one. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wrangellian Posted June 11 Share Posted June 11 3 hours ago, Jeffrey P said: Is this one not a bivalve? It's a little incomplete so I'll take your word for it whatever you say. Nice haul all around! I hope you will collect as much as you can from any site that looks like it will soon be uncollectable, if you have the chance/ability. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeffrey P Posted June 12 Author Share Posted June 12 18 minutes ago, Wrangellian said: Is this one not a bivalve? It's a little incomplete so I'll take your word for it whatever you say. Nice haul all around! I hope you will collect as much as you can from any site that looks like it will soon be uncollectable, if you have the chance/ability. I wouldn't rule out a bivalve, but those are super rare at Leitchfield. If it were more complete we would know for sure. I've only found two bivalves at that site, and both look nothing like this. It seems there is very little documented about Mississippian Age bivalves that I can use as resources. I plan to keep researching this. Thanks. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bockryan Posted June 12 Share Posted June 12 Cool finds, love the bryozoans. Happy birthday to you father as well, 95 is a real accomplishment! It's a long way from me, but I certainly have Leitchfield on my list, don't have nearly enough Mississippian material Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wrangellian Posted June 13 Share Posted June 13 On 6/11/2024 at 5:06 PM, Jeffrey P said: I wouldn't rule out a bivalve, but those are super rare at Leitchfield. If it were more complete we would know for sure. I've only found two bivalves at that site, and both look nothing like this. It seems there is very little documented about Mississippian Age bivalves that I can use as resources. I plan to keep researching this. Thanks. Good, I'm curious. I see what look like 'wings' (a la pectinid) on either corner, but they're mostly gone, so I can't tell if those aren't just something unrelated that's fooling me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeffrey P Posted June 17 Author Share Posted June 17 On 6/11/2024 at 7:43 PM, Wrangellian said: Is this one not a bivalve? It's a little incomplete so I'll take your word for it whatever you say. Nice haul all around! I hope you will collect as much as you can from any site that looks like it will soon be uncollectable, if you have the chance/ability. Thanks again for your input. I am now thinking this is a partial Pteriomorph bivalve, most likely Aviculopecten. sp. Quite rare from this site as far as I can tell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wrangellian Posted June 18 Share Posted June 18 That's good! It seems like a fun site to collect. Lots of different goodies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Newbie_1971 Posted June 18 Share Posted June 18 Great to see you out and collecting! Congrats on some amazing finds! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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