Pecopteris Fern Fossil

As of June 2020, on display at the  New Harmony Indiana USA Working Men's Institute Museum & Library was this Pecopteris fern fossil. The fossil dates to Pennsylvanian Period. Specimen accession number WMI 300.7 and is part of the James Sampson collection. Fossil found in the Bond Formation at the Rush Creek locality of Posey County, Indiana, USA.

New Harmony was named by Robert Owen in 1825 after purchasing it from the Harmony Society who founded Harmony there in 1814. A number of earlier American geologists lived in this town including William McClure, Gerard Troost, David Dale Owen, F. B. Meek, E. T. Cox, B.F. Shumard, and Richard Owen. Naturalists Thomas Say and Charles-Alexandre Lesueur also lived in New Harmony. Thomas Say is buried near the center of the town.

Ceratites nodosus Ammonite Fossil

This ammonite fossil was seen at the New Harmony Indiana USA Working Men's Institute Museum & Library in June 2020. It was identified as a Ceratites nodosus (Bruguière. 1789). The fossil dates to Cretaceous Period. Specimen accession number WMI 309.7. No locality for this fossil was listed.

The Working Men's Institute (WMI) was created by geologist William Maclure in 1838. Its goal is to provide useful knowledge to those who work with their hands. At one time there were 160 institutes in Indiana and Illinois, only the New Harmony branch remains. The library is longest continuous operating one in the state of Indiana.

Melonechinus Sea Urchin Fossil

This fossil was seen at the New Harmony Indiana USA Working Men's Institute Museum & Library in June 2020. It was identified as a Melonechinus sp. (Meek & Worthen, 1861, p. 396) from St. Louis Limestone. The fossil dates to Mississippian Period (340-330 million years ago) in the Meramecian series. Limestone named by George Engelmann in Remarks on the St. Louis Limestone: American Journal of Science, series 2, volume 3, pages 119-120 (published 1847). Specimen accession number WMI 310.4.

There appears to be a second echinoid fossil on display as well but was not labeled. This one was more intact. The case label read "Mr. James Sampson, 1806-1890, was a saddler, a storekeeper and McClure agent. When he retired in 1858, he followed his fancy for collecting things, natural history mainly along the Wabash River and cut off river." The case is full of nice fossils but almost none of them are labeled. The fossil looked to be about the size of a grapefruit.

Crane Fly Fossil

This image shows a crane fly insect fossil found in the Florissant Formation of Teller County, Colorado, USA. The genus might be a Tipula. It dates to the Eocene Epoch of the Paleogene Period. Thanks to Kenny for the image.

Indonesian Bivalve Fossil

Recently, my cousin returned from a trip where he acquired some bivalve fossils at a Colorado rock shop. He was told they were from Indonesia. After doing some research on the Internet of other dealers selling fossils like this, the name being used is either Paphia sp. or Striarca cheribonensis. The locality might be either Solo River or Sangrian Done, Jawa Tengah, Java, Indonesia. Fossil dates to the Pliocene Epoch.

Florissant Formation Snout Beetle Fossil

This image shows an insect fossil found in the Florissant Formation of Teller County, Colorado, USA. It dates to the Eocene Epoch of the Paleogene Period. Thanks to Kenny for the matrix plate. I split the plate and then used the microscope find it. The fossil split in two so there is an  image of each side. The image below is of the plate before it was split (about 10 cm wide). The actual fossil is about 3.54 mm long. My original guess and posting was this fossil was some sort of seed pod or flower bud. Afterwards, my cousin Kenny identified it as a snout beetle or weevil of the Order Coleoptera, Family Curculionidae.

Almost Intact Bumastus niagarensis Trilobite Fossil

When I was active hunting the Waldron Shale for its treasured fossils, one I hoped to find was an intact Bumastus niagarensis (Whitfield, 1879) trilobite. This image is of a mostly intact trilobite (60-70%) and the pygidium on another one. As far as I know, no fully intact Bumastus trilobites have been found in the Waldron Shale of Indiana. Looking at this one, it was probably intact at the quarry and was damaged when dug up or moved so it gives me hope in the future a full one will be found.

It dates to the Silurian Period (Wenlock Epoch, Sheinwoodian to Homerian Stages). My cousin Kenny found it in Clark County, Indiana, USA. Very nice find, so close to being a complete specimen.

Species was originally named by  R. P. (Robert Parr) Whitfield (1828-1910) as Illaenus niagarensis in the Annual Report of Geological Survey of Wisconsin for 1879, 1880 page 68.

Schuchertella subplana Brachiopod Fossil

This brachiopod fossil appears to be a Schuchertella subplana (Conrad, 1842). It was found the Osgood Formation at Napoleon Quarry in Ripley County Indiana USA. It dates to the Silurian Period .(Telychian to Sheinwoodian Stage).

I used The Silurian Fauna of Kentucky by August F. Foerste (1862-1936) for a list of fossils found in the Osgood Formation and Waldron Shale to narrow down the species. It can be found at http://www.uky.edu/OtherOrgs/KPS/poky/pages/pokych03.htm Plate XXIII figure 14. Learn more about Mr. Foerste at the very informative blog Fossils and Other Living Things entry on December 2019.

Species first documented by T. A. (Timothy Abbott) Conrad (1803-1877) in 1842 in the Observations on the Silurian and Devonian systems of the United Sates, with descriptions of new Organic Remains in Journal Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia volume VIII, page 258. A scan can be found at https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/79280#page/253/mode/thumb

This fossil has some similarities to a Coolinia subplana brachiopod fossil Dave at Views of the Mahantango blog found in the same Osgood Formation in 2011.
http://viewsofthemahantango.blogspot.com/2011/09/fardenia-subplana-from-waldron-shale.html

Megastrophia concara Brachiopod Fossil

Here is a fossil that appears to be a Megastrophia concara (Hall, 1857) brachiopod. It was found in the Silica Shale of Paulding County, Ohio, USA. The fossil dates to the Devonian Period (Givetian).

Years ago Dave at Views of the Mahantango gave me this fossil. Thank you for that.

Silurian Cephalopod Fossil Dawsonoceras

This fossil appears to be a Dawsonoceras americanum cephalopod. It was found the Osgood Formation at Napoleon Quarry in Ripley County Indiana USA. It dates to the Silurian Period.

Used The Silurian Fauna of Kentucky by August F. Foerste for a list of fossils found in the Osgood Formation to narrow down the species. It can be found at http://www.uky.edu/OtherOrgs/KPS/poky/files/pokych03-01-46.pdf

Venericardia planicosta Pelecypod Fossil

This bivalve fossil was found in Monroeville, Monroe County, Alabama in the Gosport Sand Formation.  It existed in the Eocene Epoch of the Paleogene Period. The fossil appears to be a Venericardia planicosta (Lamarck 1801).  It is extra nice in that both halves are present. I still need to clean this fossil. Thanks to Herb & Pam for the fossil.

Identification based on plate 167 figure 22 of Index Fossils of North America (Shimer & Shrock, 1944).

Busycon rucksorum Gastropod Fossil

This posts shows some images of a snail fossil (appears to be Busycon rucksorum Petuch 1994) of the Fort Drum Member, Nashua Formation of Ruck's Pit in Okeechobee County, Florida, USA. This animal lived in the Calabrian Stage (780,000 years ago to 1.8 million years ago) of the Pleistocene Epoch of the Quaternary Period.

Thanks to Mary Ann for giving me this fossil so many years ago.

Sphenophyllum Plant Fossil

This plant fossil appears to be a Sphenophyllum. It was found in Hazard (Perry County) Kentucky in the Breathitt Group.  The fossil dates to Pennsylvanian (Carboniferous) Period. 

Recently, I have been posting a lot of fossil I received from friends years ago. My effort has been to try and document a lot of fossils I have that are unlabeled. So slow progress as I name the fossils and add them blog if they were not posted before. This fossil is one of them, my cousin Kenny gave it to me almost 10 years ago.