Connecting the environment of the ancient past with the natural and cultural history of yesterday and today.















 

 

Identifying Fossils on the Fossil Beds

Images on this page can acquaint you to the variety of corals and other fossils that can be observed on the fossil beds when the river level is low. Most are on the coral beds that are usually visible during the late summer and fall. Reading the River Level chart, [link here] when the lower gauge listing is below 13.5 feet the coral beds are exposed. If the lower gauge reading is below 24 feet only the upper fossil beds along the river’s edge are exposed.

 

Two-foot long horn coral        Horn coral showing repetitive growth

        Large horn coral Siphonophrentis elongata                Large horn coral Blothrophyllum romingeri is

        (commonly called a “tusk” coral) is about two feet       mistaken for a fossil backbone or snake. It shows

        long. It can be found on the coral beds below the       a repetitive growth pattern. It can be found on the

        steps to the fossil beds.                                               coral beds below the steps to the fossil beds.

        Quartz-replaced massive colonial coral colored by manganese oxides                   Honeycomb coral showing growth banding in profile

        Colonial tabulate coral Alveolites mordax. This          Colonial coral Favosites (Emmonsia) emmonsi,

        genus has crescent-shaped corallites and is             (honeycomb coral) shows growth bands. They are

        commonly eight to 12 inches in diameter. This          easy to see when the coral is wetted. This is

        is located on the coral beds below the outer             located on the coral beds below the outer parking lot.

        parking lot.

        Lumpy pattern on the rocks from a colonial coral       Two honeycomb corals - one on right is upside-down

        Colonial rugose coral Heliophyllum ingens is a         Favosites colonies - the coral on the left is in

        rare type where the corallites lack walls between      growth position, the smaller one on the right was

        adjacent individuals. The pattern of lumps                flipped over by strong currents perhaps from a

        makes it distinguishable from other colonial              Devonian hurricane. This is located on the coral

        types even when obscured by a veneer of                beds below the outer parking lot.

        sediment.

        Branching coral replaced by quartz       Long-curved horn coral is very common on fossil beds

       The branching colonial coral Alveolites winchellana.    Gently curving Cystiphylloides - how did it stand

      This coral has crescent-shaped corallites and is           vertical?

      located on the coral beds below the outer parking lot.

       Fallen colonial coral that turned upright before falling again     Horn coral fallen and growing upright again during the Devonian

       Colonial tabulate coral Favosites suffered the         Cystiphylloides laid flat by a storm, then grew back

       same fate as the Cystiphylloides to the left. It is      toward vertical before another storm toppled and

       surrounded by smaller Cystiphylloides. This is        buried it. This is located on the coral beds below the

       located on the coral beds below the outer              outer parking lot.

       parking lot.

      

       Pipe organ coral, inverted by Devonian storm     Colonial coral showing evidence of Devonian storms

       Colonial rugose coral Acinophyllum commonly        A branching coral that grew upward, toppled in a

       called "pipe organ" coral. A branching coral is       storm, grew upward again, and was toppled and

       located in the bottom center. This is located on     buried. This is located on the coral beds below the

       the coral beds below the outer parking lot.            outer parking lot.

      

       Turbinopsis snail mold         Calcite-filled joint and cross-section of brachiopod

      

       Mold of Turbinopsis snail and casts of brachiopods.   Joint fracture filled with calcite (right) and cross-

       This is located in the Brevispirifer zone below the       section of a brachiopod Amiphigena elongata in

       "singing fence" and entry road.                                   center (bluish color). This is the only brachiopod

                                                                                           species found on the coral beds.

      

       Colonial coral in foreground, upper fossil beds in background         X-shaped joint fractures on the fossil beds

      

       Coral colony in the foreground, upper fossil beds        Two joint fractures cut across the coral beds

       in the background. Entry road in the upper left of        forming an "X." These are a stress fractures in the

       the image.                                                                    limestone bed rock.

      

Another fossil identification guide on this web site: Devonian corals

Rocks that look like fossils: Pseudofossils

Created October 28, 2010, Updated September 1, 2011.