| NEW YORK |
| PALEONTOLOGICAL SOCIETY |
| FIELD TRIPS |
FIELD TRIP ANNOUNCEMENT
HELDERBERG FOSSIL QUARRIES
OF THE CATSKILL, N.Y. AREA
SATURDAY & SUNDAY, MAY 27 & MAY 28, 2023
Times for Meeting up both days to be finalized
On this Field Trip we will visit 2 or 3 quarries in the Catskill area of New York. All of the sites are in the Helderberg Group (Lower Devonian) and are rich in marine invertebrate fossils, including cephalopods and trilobites. This trip may also include a visit to an underground cave and museum (The Cave House Museum of Mining and Geology).
The Catskills represents a diverse range of Paleozoic phyla. Some of the more notable items found are the Hindia sp. (Sponges that look like golf balls) and Platycerus gastropods that come in a wide variety of morphologies. Crinoid “hold fasts” are also common in several layers. This site has an enormous variety of brachiopods and some trilobites have been found. Recently, vertebrate (fish) coprolites have also been reported. The limestone formations found at this site are Early Devonian, ranging around 400 million years. Crystals may also be found in this rock.
The Field Trip Leader and Coordinator will be Chris Marotta
Note: All those attending must be members of the New York Paleontological Society.
In addition to fossil collecting, we may also see a museum and go into an underground cave ( all free to people on this trip).
A field guide by will be available for those attending at approximately cost.
For more information, you can contact Chris at chrismarotta@nyps.org .
FIELD TRIP ANNOUNCEMENT
GEOLOGY AND PALEONTOLOGY OF THE UPPER
ORDOVICIAN OF INDIANA, KENTUCKY AND OHIO
Fossil Collecting in the World Famous
Cincinnati Arch Region
FRIDAY, SATURDAY & SUNDAY June 9, 10 & 11, 2023
Field Trip Leader and Coordinator: Donald Phillips
The region around Cincinnati, Ohio is renowned for the richness and diversity of invertebrate marine fossils, especially those of the Ordovician.
There will be three days of excellent collecting (all day Friday, Saturday and Sunday) in the world famous Cincinnati Arch Region. On Friday, we will visit a quarry in Indiana near Cincinnati, OH and a couple of other sites in the area. On Saturday, we will visit a number of sites in the Cincinnati area and on Sunday a number of sites in northern Kentucky centered around Maysville. This town is near the Ohio River about equidistant from Cincinnati, OH and Lexington, KY.
Although most members may be familiar with the Devonian of New York, these are earlier Ordovician sites and are extremely rich in marine invertebrate fossils. The Cincinnatian of Ohio is the type series for the Ordovician of North America, so all other Ordovician sites are compared to this area. The fossils are generally excellently preserved.
Note, the quarry in Indiana has not been visited before by our society, and we have not visited the sites in Ohio and Kentucky for at least 8 years.
The fossils are abundant and well preserved. Most are to be found weathered from the matrix and easily collected. Fossils to be found include: bryozoans, brachiopods, corals, gastropods, bivalves, cephalopods, crinoids, trilobites, sponges, edrioasteroids, graptolites, tentaculites and ichno (trace) fossils - the vast majority different species than those found in the Devonian of New York.
Southwest Ohio is approximately a 12-16 hour drive from the NYC area by car or you can take a bus or flight into either Cincinnati, Lexington or Louisville and then rent a vehicle. You should plan on traveling on Thursday and returning Monday since we will start fairly early all three days. Since this is a long way from our base in New York, there will be plenty of opportunities and sites to collect from. Note, you can attend Friday, Saturday or Sunday’s events, or all three. (see registration, below).
We are planning this trip with the help of the Dry Dredgers, a very well known society in the Cincinnati area. The sites we visit may be modified based on our ongoing discussions with this society. Complete directions to the sites and any updates on the trip will be provided to those registering.
A field guide to the geology and paleontology of the Cincinnati region by Erich Rose will be available for those participating for a nominal fee.
For more information, contact Don Phillips at president@nyps.org .