December 2, 2006 - Mississippian Fossils, St. Clair Co, AL
A roadcut in St.
Clair County was a real
bonanza for BPS on this trip. A smaller crowd than usual came
along but found a very wide variety of fossils. Excitement
all
around as we spread out along the road cut. This is a
Mississippian age site where geologic uplift is obvious.
Several
varieties of coral,
including quite a few large horned coral, brachiopods and sponges
were found in the Ft. Payne chert and Tuscumbia
Limestone.
A lot of
trilobites were being found; Greg and others started breaking open some
well-weathered rocks, and almost every rock contained a treasure-trove
of
fossils: horn corals, sponges, trilobites, bryzoan, and some
as-yet-unidentified items. One of the most exciting
finds was the large straight cephalopod found by Bob (and naturally, we
all gravitated to the same collecting area to find THE REST OF IT, but
alas, no more, not even tiny pieces, were to be found). Leisa
and
Becky had been surveying a different area, and spotted some more shell,
coral and trilobite fossils in an area we had not collected
before. After a
late lunch at a local BBQ, some of the crew took off on a scouting
trip, while others made their way home.
(Photos courtesy Becky Guthrie and Vicki Lais)
--Edited by Vicki Lais
(Photos courtesy Becky Guthrie and Vicki Lais)
The most common fossil at this location is coral.
Crinoids are also found.
Greg shows Nathan how to crack the rocks to find the fossils inside.
Nice bryozoan impression and actual fossil remains.
Nathan has found fossil brachiopods. Click picture for closer view.
An interesting piece of horned coral, laying loose in a hollow shaped like it. This specimen has obviously been weathering in this same location for many years.
Another view of the horned coral.
Becky also has a nice slab of brachiopods.
A closer look at Becky's slab.
Nice sponge; at higher resolution, the pores are easily visible.
More brachiopods.
And here's what we were hoping to find - trilobites!
As nice as the trilobites are, this straight cephalopod was the find of the day!