Sunday, April 23, 2017

Ptychodus decurrens Shark Tooth Fossil


This image is of a Ptychodus decurrens (Agassiz) shark tooth fossil from the Cretaceous Period. Found in the Chalk of Kent England. Displayed at the British Natural History Museum London as of August 2016.

Learn more here: http://www.chalk.discoveringfossils.co.uk/5%20Ptychodus.htm

Saturday, April 22, 2017

Terebrirostra lyra Fossil


This image is of a Terebrirostra lyra (J. Sowerby) brachiopod fossil from the Late Cretaceous Period (Lower Cenomanian). Found in the Warminster Beds Horningsham Wilts. England. Displayed at the British Natural History Museum London as of August 2016.

Friday, April 21, 2017

Schloenbachia varians Fossil


This image is of a Schloenbachia varians (J. Sowerby) ammonite fossil from the Late Cretaceous Period (Lower Cenomanian). Found in the Chalk Marl Varians Zone Evershot Dorset England. Displayed at the British Natural History Museum London as of August 2016.

Thursday, April 20, 2017

Inoceramus labiatus Fossil


This image is of an Inoceramus labiatus (Schlotheim) pelecypod fossil from the Late Cretaceous Period (Turonian). Found in the Upper Chalk Oldbury near Heytesbury Wilts England. Displayed at the British Natural History Museum London as of August 2016.

Wednesday, April 19, 2017

Enoploclytia leachi Fossil



The image is of an Enoploclytia leachi (Mantell, 1822) lobster fossil from the Late Cretaceous Period (Turonian). Found in the Upper Chalk Burham Kent England. On display at the British Natural History Museum London as of August 2016.

Tuesday, April 18, 2017

Platycerid Gastropod Fossil

Platycerid gastropod fossil found in Grayson County, Kentucky USA. It was in the Glen Dean Member. This snail roamed the ocean in the Mississippian Period. Thanks to Kenny for the images.


Thursday, April 13, 2017

Hyphantoceras reussianum Ammonite Fossil


The image is of a Hyphantoceras reussianum (d'Orbigny) ammonite fossil from the Cretaceous Period (Turonian). Found in the Planus zone Chalk Marl Aston Rowant of England. On display at the British Natural History Museum London as of August 2016.

Wednesday, April 12, 2017

Scaphites equalis Ammonite Fossil


The image is of a Scaphites equalis (J. de C. Sowerby, 1813) ammonite fossil from the Late Cretaceous Period (Cenomanian). Found in the Chalk Group Lower Chalk Formation of England. On display at the British Natural History Museum London as of August 2016.

Tuesday, April 11, 2017

Coryphodon oweni Fossil


This fossil is part of a skull of an extinct pantodont known as Coryphodon oweni. Fossil was named by Herbert in 1856. It was found in the Meudon of Sparnacian of France. This creature existed in the Paleocene and Lower Eocene Epochs of the Paleogene Period.. It was on display in August of 2016 at the  Muséum National D'Historie Paris.

Wednesday, April 5, 2017

Pterocrinus acutus Crinoid with Snail Fossil


This crinoid calyx appears to be a Pterocrinus acutus (Wetherby, 1879). It has a snail fossil fossilized with it. The animals existed in the Mississippian Period and were found in the Glen Dean member of Grayson County Kentucky USA.

Thanks to Kenny for images.

See more images of crinoids like this at Don R. Chesnut's web page on fossils of the Sloans Valley Member (Paragon Formation).

Tuesday, April 4, 2017

Alveolites Branching Coral Fossil


This image is of an Alveolites winchellana (Miller) 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.

Monday, April 3, 2017

Pterocrinus Crinoid Calyx with Gastropod Fossil


This calyx was found while sifting through matrix while looking for dis-articulated crinoid arms for another fossil. It is quite a find measuring a little over 3 cm in width and it has part of gastropod fossil (see arrow) located near the top of its folded up arms.

This crinoid appears to be a Pterocrinus acutus (Wetherby, 1879). The creature existed in the Mississippian Period and was found in the Glen Dean member of Grayson County Kentucky USA. This next image has 3 arrows highlighting the spines on the arms.


Side view of spines below.

Thanks to Kenny for the images.

See more images of crinoids like this at Don R. Chesnut's web page on fossils of the Sloans Valley Member (Paragon Formation).

Sunday, April 2, 2017

Syringopora Coral Fossil


This image shows a Syringopora hisingeri (Billings) coral fossil. They are found in the Jeffersonville Limestone of Clark County Indiana USA. The coral existed in the Devonian Period. It was on display at the Falls of the Ohio State Park Interpretive Center as of January 2016.


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