Ectenocrinus (Heterocrinus) simplex Crinoid Fossil

This fossil appears to be an Ectenocrinus (Heterocrinus) simplex (Hall, 1847) crinoid calyx fossil. It was given to  Lucien Beckner (1872-1963) in earlier 1900s by Dr. William H. Shideler (1886-1958) of Miami University of Ohio. The fossil dates to the Ordovician Period.

 

Plate of Rafinesquina alternate Brachiopod Fossils

 

These fossils were displayed on August 2022, at the Harvard Museum of Natural History in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. The brachiopod fossils are called Rafinesquina alternate (Conrad, 1838). This specimen was found in Ohio. It dates to the Ordovician Period.

https://hmnh.harvard.edu/

Glyptocrinus decadactylus Crinoid Calyx Fossil

 

This picture is of a crinoid calyx fossil called Glyptocrinus decadactylus (Hall, 1847). Picture was taken in 2016 at Indiana University Department of Geology. The fossil dates to the Ordovician Period and was found in the Alger Formation of Ohio, USA. Thanks to Kenny for the picture.

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.

Paraspirifer bownockeri Brachiopod Fossil

Here is an image of a Paraspirifer bownockeri brachiopod fossil. It was found in Ohio, USA. The brachiopod lived in the Devonian Period. Fossil was on display at The Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Milano (Milan Natural History Museum), Italy as of August 2019.

Rhabdoderma elegans Fish Fossil

This fish fossil is a Rhabdoderma elegans ("striated skin"). It was collected Linton, Ohio, USA. This fish was a common freshwater fish in its day. Fossil dates to about 325 million years ago (Middle Carboniferous Period).

The fossil on display (2018) at American Museum of Natural History, New York City, USA.

Asterosteus stenocephalus Fish Head Shield Fossil (cast)

This Middle Devonian Period fossil cast is of an Asterosteus stenocephalus fish. The fossil was found in Delaware, Ohio, USA. Its name means "star bone".

As of 2018, this head shield cast was on display at American Museum of Natural History, New York City, USA.

50 Year Anniversary of Devonian Fossil Fish Find in Cleveland

The Cleveland Museum of Natural History is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the start of excavating fossil fishes from their area. In 1965 construction to create I-71 road connecting downtown Cleveland with its southwestern suburbs revealed a treasure trove of Devonian fossils.

The animals fossilized after their remains sank to the ocean bottom and settled in to the sediment that would turn into the Cleveland Shale. The team worked on extracting fossils and shale from the project till 1968. Animals like the Cladoelache shark and Dunkelosteous arthrodire where found there.

See pictures and read more about it at the Cleveland Plain Dealer site http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2015/10/cleveland_museum_of_natural_hi_5.html

Paraspirifer bownockeri Brachiopod Fossil

This brachiopod fossil is called Paraspirifer bownockeri from the Silica Shale. It is from Sylvania, Ohio in Lucas County. The fossil dates from the Devonian Period.

Thanks to Vic for the fossil.

Petrocrania Inarticulate Brachiopod

This fossil appears to be a Petrocrania inarticulate brachiopod fossil. It was found in the Silica Shale of Sylvania, Ohio, USA. The fossil dates to the Middle Devonian Period.

Learn more at the Views of the Mahantango Internet blog.

Thanks to Vic for the fossil.

Pseudoatrypa Brachiopod of Silica Shale

This fossil appears to be a Pseudoatrypa sp. brachiopod fossil. It was found in the Silica Shale of Sylvania, Ohio, USA. The fossil dates to the Middle Devonian Period.

Learn more at the Views of the Mahantango Internet blog.

Thanks to Vic for the fossil.

Pholidostrophia Brachiopod Fossil

This fossil appears to be a Pholidostrophia geniculata? brachiopod fossil. It was found in the Silica Shale of Sylvania, Ohio, USA. The fossil dates to the Middle Devonian Period.

Learn more at the Views of the Mahantango Internet blog.

Thanks to Vic for the fossil.

Pyritized Strophodonta Brachiopod

Here are two pictures of a pyritized Strophodonta brachiopod fossil. It was found in the Silica Formation of Sylvania, Ohio USA. The creature lived in the Middle Devonian Period.  Learn more about where these fossils are found at Olander Fossil Park web site.

Thanks to Vic for the pictures of this fossil.

My friend Dave has a blog with a special section for the fossil from this area. Click this to go to Views of the Mahantango blog.

Cryptolithus tessellates Trilobites

Here are some pictures of the lace collar sections of the Cryptolithus tessellates (Green 1832) trilobite fossils. They were on display at the Cincinnati Museum of Natural History and Science in Ohio, USA (as of August 2013). The trilobites existed in the Ordovician Period and are found in the Edenian Stage of the Cincinnatian Series.

The genus was named by Jacob Green in 1832 Synopsis of the trilobites of North America. Monthly American Journal of Geology and Natural History, 1(12):558–560. . This trilobite was known by the name Trinucleus concentricus in other earlier works.

If there had been internal remnants of a trilobite it might have looked something like from below. It is a drawing done back in 1920 by Dr. Elvira Wood of the Cryptolithus tessellates (Green 1832).

Source:

https://www.gutenberg.org/files/41695/41695-h/41695-h.htm

Isotelus maximus Trilobite Fossil

These trilobite fossils are called Isotelus maximus.  The fossil dates to the late Ordovician Period. It is Ohio's state fossil. It was found in the Cincinnatian Series of Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. The genus Isotelus was named by Dekay in 1824.

On display at Cincinnati Museum Center as of August 2013. The enrolled specimen (below) is labeled with accession number IP70253.

Below is a drawing of what the bottom of this creature looked like by Dr. Elvira Wood in 1920.

Source:

https://www.gutenberg.org/files/41695/41695-h/41695-h.htm

Promopalaeaster speciosus Starfish Fossil

This starfish fossil was found in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. It is called Promopalaeaster speciosus. The layer is found in is the Fairmount Member, Fairview Formation. The fossil dates to the Late Ordovician Period.

On display at Cincinnati Museum Center as of August 2013. Specimen is assigned accession number IP24727.

Visit Falls of the Ohio State Park

Recently, I visited the interpretive center at the Falls of the Ohio State Park in Clarksville, Indiana located across the Ohio River from Louisville, Kentucky. They have two temporary fossil displays that have nice specimens to observe. The first image is of an enrolled Flexicalymene meeki trilobite from the Ordovican found in Hamilton County, Ohio.

This next image is of the Eocene fish fossil Knightea sp. found in the famous locality of Green River Formation (Kemmerer, Wyoming).

Followed by an imprint of snail in a stromatoporoid of the Jeffersonville Limestone (Middle Devonian) Oldham County, Kentucky.

Above are images of Baculites cephalopod fossils of Upper Cretaceous of South Dakota.

Pelecypod fossil embedded in an ironstone nodule of the Upper Pennsylvanian Period found in Grundy County, Illinois.

Calamites plant fossil found in the Pennsylvanian Period layers of Vigo County, Indiana. Plant is similar to the modern horsetail rush (Equisetum hyemele).

Trilobite Time!

These pictures of recently cleaned trilobite fossils.  They appear to all be Phacops sp. from the Devonian Period.  My friend Dave at the Views of the Mahontango blog left us with some fossils in matrix and stand-alone fossils to be cleaned to see if any more detail could be revealed.  My cousin Kenny and I worked on the group of fossils for hours to get some of the specimens in relatively clean shape.  With the investment of more time, careful removal of all the matrix from the thorax segments and around the details in the cephalon/pygidium could be achieved.

Dave may have told me what these fossils were or where they were from but if I do not write things down I tend to forget.  These group fossils I would guess are from the Silica Shale at Sylvania, Ohio.  See his post: CLICK HERE.  Check his blog in the future for more info about these fossils.

Tools used were electric engraver, air powered micro-scribe, needle tools, air abrasive cleaner, water/toothbrush, and diamond saw.  After all the cleaning work was done, it was neat to see the results.  Yet again, I did not photograph the before pictures to show what shape they were in before we started cleaning.  As usual, we have to find windows of free time to work and the focus is getting the items cleaned.

One thing I remember from each cleaning session is the smell of respirator.  After wearing the safety device for long periods while operating the air abrasive system, it leaves a distinct aroma of rubber/plastic.

These fossils will get a little more cleaning before being packed up and shipped back to their collection home.  Woo hoo!