Fossils in the Wild: Invertebrate Paleontology Field Trip
Mark Wilson September 11th, 2011
CAESAR CREEK LAKE, OHIO–The 2011 Invertebrate Paleontology class had a productive field trip on a beautiful Ohio day. Thunderstorms roamed the state, but we saw them only when we were comfortably on the bus.
We worked in the emergency spillway at Caesar Creek Lake in southwestern Ohio, roughly halfway between Cincinnati and Dayton. This site is maintained by the US Army Corps of Engineers as a fossil-collecting preserve. You obtain a free permit at the visitor center, agree to follow the rules, and extraordinary fossils await your picking. (Last time I was here it was very cold.)
The fossils are in the Arnheim, Waynesville, Liberty and Whitewater Formations of the Richmondian Stage in the Cincinnatian Series of the Ordovician System. These are shaly units with shell-rich limestones formed during storms. Brachiopods, bryozoans, crinoids, trilobites, clams, snails, nautiloids, corals — the whole Ordovician menagerie. Perfect for student collections and our later exercises.
Brachiopod-rich storm layer in the Liberty Formation. Note the circular bryozoan attachment.
Bryozoan colony and brachiopod shell interior from the Waynesville Formation.
Our fancy bus. The design insures that the back seats are rather bouncy.
Last of the summer flower field photos! It was such a beautiful day.