Fossils Seen At Fossil Festival

I was volunteering for the KYANA Geological Society on Saturday, September 19, 2009 at the Fossil Festival at the Falls of the Ohio State Park. The area next to ours was the Kentucky Paleontological Society of Lexington, Kentucky and their friendly members. One member had a case with a lot of very nice fossils in that he let me photograph. Here are some of those pictures.

This first picture is of an Archaeocrinus sp. crinoid from the Ordovician Period.


This next image is of a Climacograptus Graptolite found in the Clays Ferry Formation in Danville, Kentucky. It is from the Upper Ordovician Period.

These crinoid calyx are called Glyptocrinus. They existed in the Middle Ordovician Period. Found in the Lexington Limestone, Millersburg Member.

Here are some Glyptocrinus decadactylus crinoids from the Upper Ordovician Period. Notice on some of the calyx a Cyclonema gastropod attached. It is interesting that the snail remained attached but the arms broke away. I would think a traumatic event occurred that buried both the crinoid and the snail. The snail would instinctively detach from the crinoid and retreat into the safety of its shell. The crinoids were found in the Grant Lake Limestone of Maysville, Kentucky.

A Silurian Period cephalopod called Dawsonoceras found in the Upper Osgood Formation in Napoleon, Indiana. Some of the sinusoidal lines are still visible on the shell.

Here is a fossil of red algae shown in this polished crossection. It is from the Middle Ordovician Period. Found in the Lexington Limestone, Strodes Creek Member from Clark County, Kentucky.

Here is an almost intact Silurian Period Eucalyptocrinites crinoid found in Clark County, Indiana.

This might be an Eucalyptocrinites crinoid cup from the Silurian Period found in Clark County, Indiana. I forgot to photograph the label.

Dawsonoceras Cephalopod

These pictures show a Silurian Period Dawsonoceras cephalopod (ID guess on my part) in a meeting room display case at the Cincinnati Museum Geier Collection Center. I am guessing the fossil was 40 cm in length. Also note the coiled cephalopods in the case with it.



 
Dawsonoceras Classified:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Cephalopoda
Subclass: Orthoceratoidea
Order: Orthocerida
Family: Dawsonceratidae

A 27 cm Silurian Cephalopod Casting

This cephalopod was found about 2 weeks ago protruding from a larger boulder. After about 15 minutes with a rock hammer and chisel, it was freed but it came out in several pieces. With the help of some cement the pieces were re-assembled into this approximate 27 cm (10.5 inch) Silurian period Dawsonoceras cephalopod.

Note the well defined ribbed pattern through the shell imprint. The growth lines have worn away. The size of this creature was impressive. It was one formidable predator in its day. I wonder why its beak imprints are not found on other fossils like trilobite shells? I would assume they would look like triangular shapes.

Found in Louisville Limestone in Jefferson County, Kentucky. This one belongs to someone else.




Here are some pictures of its other side with a small piece of coral still attached to the shell imprint.

Silurian Cephalopod

Here is another Dawsonoceras annulatum imprint in a rock that is part of stone wall. I wish I had a ruler to measure it but I think it might have been about 24 cm long. It appears to have 19 sections.

Found at KYANA fossil study.

A Silurian Dawsonoceras annulatum

Here is a Silurian period cephalopod classified as Dawsonoceras annulatum. 


It looks like a small part of its shell is left (the pinkish looking rock with the sine wave shapes in it). The rest of the fossil is just an imprint on a rock.

I found this specimen at KYANA fossil study and always like find this cephalopod fossil. More to come.

Dawsonoceras annulatum

I got permission to collect at local cemetery future expansion area where they dump piles of fill dirt. While there for about 30 minutes I found a Silurian period cephalopod called Dawsonoceras annulatum (sp?). The species may not be right but the books I looked at listed this as the species on specimens shown. The genus is correct though.

What I like about this cephalopod is that creature's shell is has lots of ridges making it easy to identify. Also it has sinusoidal grow lines that are neat. I think this only the third one I have found so far and maybe the second with the fossilized shell.

This specimen is about 6 cm long but has been dipped or was filled with concrete. Part of its shell is covered or has disintegrated leaving just a molded shape.