Saturday, April 1, 2017

Fossils at the Normandy Cemetery


On my last visit to France, I visited the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial.

At the horseshoe shaped memorial, I found the remains of marine fossils in the limestone plates on the west face of the north loggia and the steps there. One plates with the carved text, I found what looks like the cross sections of crinoids.


Reading a 2002 document about the cemetery from The American Battle Monuments Commission, "The loggias and colonnade are of Vaurion, a French limestone from the Cote d'Or region; the plinths and steps are of Ploumanach granite from Brittany." The limestone might date to the Jurassic Period (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C%C3%B4te_d%27Or_(escarpment). I found a reference in a historic building stone book that Vaurion limestone might also be called Marssangis (http://www.geostonesrl.com/english/stones/other/massangis-clair-nuance/). This stone dates to the Jurassic.
Then images below are of maybe fossilized gastropods or ammonites:



The Great Seal of the United States in next to the carved text. The top shows the Eye of Providence with the text Annuit cœptis Latin for "has favored our undertakings". Under that is the 13 layer pyramid representing the original 13 colonies with the bottom layer showing 1776 in Roman numerals for the year of the Declaration of Independence. Novus ordo seclorum from the Roman poet Virgil translated to "a new order for the ages". Learn more here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Seal_of_the_United_States


Friday, March 31, 2017

Favosites Tabulate Coral Fossil


This image is of a Favosites (Emmonsia) emmonsi colonial coral fossil. It was found in the Jeffersonville Limestone of Clark County Indiana USA. The fossil dates to the Devonian Period.
This fossil was on display at the Falls of the Ohio State Park Interpretive Center as of January 2016. This coral is one of over 200 species that were known to live in this area over 300 million years ago.

Thursday, March 30, 2017

Cerithium giganteum Gastropod Fossil


This gastropod fossil was on display at the Musée de Mineralogie (Mineralogy Museum) located at the MINES ParisTech, 60 Boulevard Saint-Michel 75006 Paris France (August 2016).

It is a Cerithium giganteum found at Issy-les-Moulineaux Isle of France Paris. Fossil dates to the Cenozoic Period.