Shamalama Posted May 30, 2009 Share Posted May 30, 2009 Last week I headed out on my early summer vacation trip to Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky. My goal was to hit the vast, rich deposits of fossils that just tumble out of the road cuts of the region. Six days, 15 sites and quite a bit of rock later I came home and had to unload the car: The idea was to visit and collect from as much of the Paleozoic as possible and I started outside of Pittsburgh in the Ames Limestone of Pennsylvanian age. I ran into a very kind gentleman while at a site where some rocks had been dumped from construction, and he suggested I try a road cut just north of the Pittsburgh Mills Mall. After that I headed into Ohio and my first hotel. The next day I tried to find a site for collecting the in the Columbus Limestone but had no luck so I headed into Indiana and hit three popular road cuts along Rt. 27 and 101. These were all Ordovician in age and are prolific producers of fossils: One of the sites I hit is called Gar Hill and has a layer of Rafesquenia brachiopods that are all piled together as though from a storm event. If you climb the slopes you will find many whole, loose specimens of this Brachiopod and often find encrusting Bryozoans, inarticulate Brachiopods and the rare Ediroasteroids of which I found two: I can say that I have now found more Ediroasteroids than whole Trilobites in the Ordovician limestones of the Cincinnati region. The next day I hit the Orphanage Road site south of Cincinnati and then headed towards Sulfur, IN. cont. next post..... -Dave __________________________________________________ Geologists on the whole are inconsistent drivers. When a roadcut presents itself, they tend to lurch and weave. To them, the roadcut is a portal, a fragment of a regional story, a proscenium arch that leads their imaginations into the earth and through the surrounding terrain. - John McPheeIf I'm going to drive safely, I can't do geology. - John McPheeCheck out my Blog for more fossils I've found: http://viewsofthemahantango.blogspot.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shamalama Posted May 30, 2009 Author Share Posted May 30, 2009 So the site I headed to next is informally called Sulfur but is at the off ramp of I-64. It's a huge cut through Mississippian age rocks and has a thin productive layer called the Indian Springs Shale. I spent four hours hunting the cut and found many Blastoids and Brachipods, a few Trilobite Pygidiums, Archemedes bracnhes and a Crinoid. You have to be sure and check yourself for ticks and I found this little Deer tick trying to get a free meal: The next day was spent in and around Louisville collecting the Devonian Jefferson Limestone and Silurian Louisville Limestone: cont. in next post.... -Dave __________________________________________________ Geologists on the whole are inconsistent drivers. When a roadcut presents itself, they tend to lurch and weave. To them, the roadcut is a portal, a fragment of a regional story, a proscenium arch that leads their imaginations into the earth and through the surrounding terrain. - John McPheeIf I'm going to drive safely, I can't do geology. - John McPheeCheck out my Blog for more fossils I've found: http://viewsofthemahantango.blogspot.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shamalama Posted May 30, 2009 Author Share Posted May 30, 2009 I also had a chance to visit the New Albany shale site that had been mentioned on this forum. It's being used as fill and is spread out all over the area but some looking yielded quite a few pieces of what I beleive are wood: I also had the chance to visit with a friend and we did an exchange of local fossils from our areas. He's a member of KYANA, as am I, and I figured anything he didn't want he could give away at the club meetings. My trip was winding down but I had one more day before I went home. I visited the Ordovician again around Lexington and found some nice Orthocones and snails in the Clays Ferry and Millersburg formations respectively. Sadly I missed meeting with our own Solius due to scheduling issues but maybe next year! I ended the day collecting Platystrophias from the Grant Lake formation near Maysville. I drove home the next morning and was happy to be home. So the score is this: Ordovician: Liberty, Richmond, Whitewater, Clays Ferry, Kope, Millersburg Silurian: Brassfield, Louisville Devonian: Jeffersonville, Silver Creek, North Vernon, New Albany Mississippian: Indian Springs Shale, Borden Pennsylvanian: Ames I only missed the Cambrian and Permian but those are hard to find any exposures of on the east coast. Now to look forward to late August for my trip to Colorado/Wyoming/Utah. -Dave __________________________________________________ Geologists on the whole are inconsistent drivers. When a roadcut presents itself, they tend to lurch and weave. To them, the roadcut is a portal, a fragment of a regional story, a proscenium arch that leads their imaginations into the earth and through the surrounding terrain. - John McPheeIf I'm going to drive safely, I can't do geology. - John McPheeCheck out my Blog for more fossils I've found: http://viewsofthemahantango.blogspot.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northern Sharks Posted May 30, 2009 Share Posted May 30, 2009 Quite the haul. I wouldn't want to hit a pothole or speedbump with that much stone in the back. Sounds like you had a great trip There's no limit to what you can accomplish when you're supposed to be doing something else Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hawkeye Posted May 30, 2009 Share Posted May 30, 2009 Great stuff! I grew up in Louisville and often regret that I did not spend more time out collecting the area. If you believe everything you read, perhaps it's time for you to stop reading... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roz Posted May 30, 2009 Share Posted May 30, 2009 Now that's my idea of a really good vacation. I love that asteroid in one of your pics. Just beautiful. I have yet to find one. Welcome to the forum! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted May 30, 2009 Share Posted May 30, 2009 What a great "on-the-loose road-trip"! I am completely consumed with envy. Reminds me a little of the "big year" birding trips in the 70's; we low-rent birders had to sometimes resort to cat food too This might be the most astounding statement of the FF year: I can say that I have now found more Ediroasteroids than whole Trilobites in the Ordovician limestones of the Cincinnati region. "There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley >Paleontology is an evolving science. >May your wonders never cease! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tracer Posted May 30, 2009 Share Posted May 30, 2009 wow, as tj would say, "that's ridonkulous!" i'm relatively jealous. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommabetts Posted May 30, 2009 Share Posted May 30, 2009 Sounds like you had one awesome trip, congrats on your great finds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobC Posted May 30, 2009 Share Posted May 30, 2009 Shammy--that stuff is amazing! Love it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest solius symbiosus Posted May 31, 2009 Share Posted May 31, 2009 Sorry that I missed you. I all of my years of collecting, I have yet to find an edrioasteroid; guess I need to head North. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest N.AL.hunter Posted May 31, 2009 Share Posted May 31, 2009 Really great pictorial story you put together for us... Looks like you really got some good stuff. One word for your next trip: Truck!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparkchaser Posted May 31, 2009 Share Posted May 31, 2009 Absolutely amazing. Reminds me of hitting Caesar Creek State Park when I was in college. I need to go back. Thanks for sharing! RAWR! I am zeee dead bobcat! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicholas Posted May 31, 2009 Share Posted May 31, 2009 Love the trunk shots! Great specimens! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shamalama Posted May 31, 2009 Author Share Posted May 31, 2009 Thanks for the cheers, folks! Auspex: I blame the efficiency of the Cincinnati Dry Dredgers club for the lack of Trilobites. Those guys are good, they have their eyes trained to spot flexi's from a mile away like hawks. Sparkchaser: I cut my teeth on the Cincinnattian at Ceasar Creek during a business trip. A wonderful place and great teaching tool. Solius: Yep, I just played the odds and picked up about 2 billion Raffis and got lucky on two. One I suspected in the field, the other was a pleasant suprise. -Dave __________________________________________________ Geologists on the whole are inconsistent drivers. When a roadcut presents itself, they tend to lurch and weave. To them, the roadcut is a portal, a fragment of a regional story, a proscenium arch that leads their imaginations into the earth and through the surrounding terrain. - John McPheeIf I'm going to drive safely, I can't do geology. - John McPheeCheck out my Blog for more fossils I've found: http://viewsofthemahantango.blogspot.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Siphuncle Posted May 31, 2009 Share Posted May 31, 2009 Good show, old chap......I grew up in Cincy and never found an edrio Grüße, Daniel A. Wöhr aus Südtexas "To the motivated go the spoils." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scipio Posted May 31, 2009 Share Posted May 31, 2009 I must say I am rather jealous. I have collected those cuts for years and never found an Edrioasteroid. Though I wondered lately since INDOT cut back those cuts a bit to help stop debris falling onto the road a couple years ago if they would be hot. Looks like they are... nice work! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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