Pennsylvania Brachiopod Tropidoleptus corniatus

Here are some more fossils from Pennsylvania. All of the fossils are from Juniata County, Pennsylvania. The first two pictures are of the same brachiopod Tropidoleptus corniatus fossils but taken from different angles. The last picture is of a portial Mucrospirifer.

They are from the Devonian period and found in the Mahantango Formation.

Devonian Pelecypod from Pennsylvania

My friend from Pennsylvania left a number of fossils for me to study. Here is one that is a Devonian pelecypod found in Mahantango Formation located in Perry County, Pennsylvania. The rock seems like some sort of shale? The Mahantango Formation is named for part of the Mahantango creek found in Pennsylvania and is a member of Hamilton Group.

Maybe this pelecypod is of the genus Nucula or Paracyclas? Here is a neat web page on Pennsylvania fossils.

All pictures shown are of the same fossil.

Sand BLASTEDoid :) from Lower Carboniferous

I think I spent about 20 minutes using the sand blaster or air scribe on this Mississippian period blastoid. It is from Sulphur, Indiana and about 5 cm in length. It was given to me with one side exposed in a rock but after I cleaned it with a water jet it came out of the rock revealing a flattened specimen.

I think the formation is Indiana Springs and the matrix is soft so the jet of sand/dolomite slowly began removing material from the fossil. Below are before and after images of each side. I took these in a workshop at night in fluorescent light so the detail is not great.

This is a very cool tool that requires patience and attention to detail.