26th Annual Digging the Past Event

 

Back from volunteering at the Falls of the Ohio State Park (Clarksville, Indiana USA) where I spent about 4 hours identifying and digging up Silurian fossils for visitors to the park. I spent my time at the four socially distanced Waldron Shale piles containing Silurian period fossils. It was a real treat working this year as I was paired with local historian/teacher and park volunteer Kenny Karem. I enjoyed hearing his stories about his long time friend and Falls park advocate Ruth Browne (1905-1999).

Even though it rained yesterday, the piles did not yield too many fossils on the surface. After splitting some of the shale rocks, I found several Eucalyptocrinites crinoid cups and some stem pieces. These fossils were given to some teachers from Ohio.

This next image shows Atrypa and Fardenia brachiopod fossil imprints (negative). I gave the positive side away to someone not having much luck finding any fossils. Did not take a picture of it before hand. A number white calcite Atrypa brachiopods were found while I was there.

Last image is of a mineral found in the Waldron Shale: pyrite or "fool's gold". I challenged a number of children collecting at the piles to try and find some pyrite crystals to take home with them.

All in all a nice day. It was hot (in the 90s F and humid). Working in the shale piles was muddy. I did not get to check out how the mineral piles or Devonian period fossil piles were going. The Devonian one was very mucky and wet.

Read my write up of this event in 2020 at THIS LINK.

Barnicle Sculpture

 

My wife took this picture of a steel and cast cement sculpture by Kari Reardon in 2019. It is called "The Barnacle" inspired by water animals found in Lake Minnetonka, Minnesota, USA.

The sculpture can be seen at River View Park at 404 Wilkinson Blvd. Frankfort, Kentucky USA.

The shapes reminds me of crinoid holdfasts.

Arietites bucklandi Ammonite Fossil

 

This picture is of a Arietites bucklandi (Sowerby, 1816) ammonite fossil at the Museo di Paleontologia at Sapienza University of Rome Italy. This creature existed in the Jurassic Period. Species was named for William Buckland (1784-1856). Learn more about the museum at: http://www.dst.uniroma1.it/en/structures/museum

Image taken in June 2014.

Dinosaur Whiskey Flask

 

A somewhat odd post today about a fossil related item I saw while visiting the Oscar Getz Museum of Whiskey History at Bardstown, Kentucky, USA. They had several cabinets of unique whiskey containers and one was in the shape of a dinosaur. Below is mold used to create bottles.

The museum is free to visit and is located in Spalding Hall (built around 1826; rebuilt 1839). The building also hosts the Bardstown Historical Museum. The building is located at 114 North 5th Street and Xavier Drive in Bardstown Kentucky USA. It is part of the complex with the historic Basilica of St. Joseph Proto-Cathedral.

Kannemeyeria erithrea Dicynodont Fossil Skull

 

The image of this mammal-like skull fossil cast was on display at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) in New York City in July 2018. This dicynodont is called Kannemeyeria erithrea. The genus was named for Daniel Rossouw Kannemeyer (1843-1925). It was found by H. F. Donner in 1952 at Cape Providence, South Africa. The fossil dates to the Triassic Period (230 million years ago). Specimen number is AMNH 7512.

Lycaenops ornatus Skeleton Fossil

The image of this mammal-like fossil was on display at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) in New York City in July 2018. This animal is called Lycaenops ornatus. The name means "wolf shape". It was found by Robert Bloom (1866-1951) in 1928 at Biesjespoort Station, South Africa. The fossil dates to the Permian Period (255 million years ago). Specimen number is AMNH 2240.

Edmontonia rugosidens Dinosaur Fossil

The image of this dinosaur fossil was on display at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) in New York City in July 2018. This ankylosaur is called Edmontonia rugosidens. It was found by Charles Hazelius Sternberg (1850-1943) in 1917 at Red Deer River in Alberta Canada. The fossil dates to the late Cretaceous Period (75 million years ago).

Lepidodiscus alleganius Edrioasteroid Fossil

 

This scan is from the book is called New York State Museum Bulletin 49 December 1901 Paleontologic Papers 2. It contains a number of papers including one called New Agelacrinites by John Mason Clarke (1857-1925). He named this new species Lepidodiscus alleganius (Clarke, 1901). Fossil like this are found in the Chemung sandstones at and near Alfred, Belvidere and Wellsville New York, USA, and 2 miles south of Sabinville, Tioga County Pennsylvania, USA. This fossil dates to the Devonian Period.

The fossil was re-evaluated in the paper The Classification of the Edrioasteroidea by R.S. Bassler (1878-1961) and its genus changed to Cooperidiscus. This paper was published in Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections Volume 93, Number 8 (April 4, 1935).

Brannerion Fish Fossil

This fish fossil was on display at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) in New York City in July 2018. The specimen was named Brannerion sp. (Jordan, 1920). It was found at Chapada do Araripe, Ceará, Brazil and dates to the middle Cretaceous Period (110 million years ago). Accession number is AMNH 11892.

Genus was named for American geologist John Casper Branner (1850-1922). David Starr Jordan (1851-1931) named this genus in a paper New Genera of Fossil Fishes from Brazil in the Proceedings of The Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia Volume LXXI, 1920, pages 208-210.

Learn more about the museum at https://www.amnh.org/

Araripichthys castilhoi Fish Fossil

This fish fossil was on display at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) in New York City in July 2018. The specimen was named Araripichthys castilhoi (Silva Santos, 1985). It was found at Chapada do Araripe, Ceara, Brazil and dates to the middle Cretaceous Period (110 million years ago). Accession number is AMNH 12576.

Learn more about the museum at https://www.amnh.org/

Eomyrohis latisphinus Eel Fossil

 

This eel fossil was on display at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) in New York City in July 2018. The specimen was named Eomyrohis latisphinus. Name means "dawn eel-snake". It was found at Monte Bolca, Italy and dates to the late Eocene Epoch (40 million years ago). Accession number is AMNH 9522.

Learn more about the museum at https://www.amnh.org/

Ursus spelaeus Skeleton

This cave bear skeleton was on display at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) in New York City in July 2018. The specimen was named Ursus spelaeus (Rosenmüller, 1794). It was found in the Cave of Mokrau at Moravia, Czechoslovakia and dates to the Pleistocene Epoch (14,000 years ago). Accession number is AMNH 39416 and gifted to Columbia University in 1945. 

Learn more about the museum at https://www.amnh.org/

Diadectes phaseolinus Reptiliomorpha Fossil

This reptiliomorpha fossil was on display at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) in New York City in July 2018. The fossil was named Diadectes phaseolinus (Cope, 1880). According to GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility), the accepted name for this fossil is Diadectes sideropelicus (Cope, 1878). The name means "crosswise biter". It was found in 1906 at Godlin Creek, Archer County Texas USA and dates to the early Permian Period (280 million years ago). Accession number is AMNH 4684. 

E.C. Case mentions this specimen in his 1910 Article XVII New or Little Known Reptiles and Amphibians from the Permian (?) of Texas pp. 163-181 in Bulletin American Museum of Natural History Vol. XXVIII.

Learn more about the museum at https://www.amnh.org/

Amnigenia catkillensis Pelecypod Fossils

 

This post documents a scan of large insert found in New York State Museum Bulletin 49 published December 1901. The paper is listed as Value of Amnigenia as an Indicator of Fresh-Water Deposits of New York, Ireland, and the Rhineland by John M. Clarke (pages 199-203; plate 11).

These pelecypods are listed as Amnigenia catkillensis (Hall, 1885) which were originally described by Vanuxem in 1842 as Cypricardites catskillensis. Researchgate web site lists genus renamed by Weir in 1969 to Archanodon. Fossils date to the Devonian Period.

Image is from plate 11 described as "a slab of limestone bearing 33 individuals of this species all with closed valves and buried in the mud at various angles across the lines of sedimentation." It was found in the Oneonta sandstone of Clarke Quarry at Oxford, New York, USA. The specimen was presented to the New York State Museum by E.E. Davis, esq. of Norwich, New York. The plate is sized at approximately 14 by 10 inches (35.5 x 25.4 cm)

Dapedium pholidotum Fish Fossil

 

This fish fossil was on display at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) in New York City in July 2018. The fossil was named Dapedium pholidotum (Agassiz, 1832). The name means "little pavement". It was found in Zell, Germany and dates to the early Jurassic Period (180 million years ago). Accession number is AMNH 7538.

Learn more about the museum at https://www.amnh.org/