Friday, May 22, 2009

Indiana University Southeast Geoscience Department

Here are some pictures of samples from the Indiana University Southeast (IUS) Geoscience Department. I was there the other evening inquiring about how to donate some fossils. There is a Halysites chain coral that might look good in their display case with Silurian period fossils.

Dr. Glenn Mason gave me a quick tour of their labs and displays. He was a friendly and enthusiastic professor with degrees from Purdue University, IUS, and University of Wyoming.

He allowed me to take some pictures of some sample in their cutting/polishing lab. Here are some polished corallites of possibly an Ordovician colonial coral.

This is a picture of the outside of that coral. I liked that it still had intact septa showing, this can aid in its identification.
Here is a polished Devonian coral.


Here is a polished cross section of another Devonian coral. I have adjusted the contrast to make the fossils stand out better.

Another polished cut slab of Devonian rock with a lot of corals in it.


There are a number of display cases outside in the hallway with minerals, gemstones, fossils, rocks and bones. Dr. Mason is looking for donations of more display cases so a larger portion of IUS collection can be displayed. He seemed especially interested in showing off more of the local corals and fossils that existed in the southern Indiana and Louisville, Kentucky area.

Just a note that residents of Louisville, Kentucky and Jefferson County, Kentucky and attend IUS put only pay Indiana in-state rates due to an agreement with Louisville schools (University of Louisville).

If there is enough interest, he offered to give KYANA Geological Society members a tour on some weekend.