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Tales Fossils Tell [F-14-58]

The “Great Ordovician Diversification” of life on Earth is best represented by the fossils of the Cincinnati Arch in Ohio, which provide a marvelous introduction to the way paleontologists think and what we do while examining an ancient, tropical, marine ecosystem. A class of the basics will get us on the same page. Then we’ll learn about types of shelly fossils, the science of their names, and we’ll also make some observations. The presenter will share his personal interpretations of how these organisms lived and died in the Cincinnatian Sea. You can anticipate some hands-on fossil work.

Mark Erickson recently retired from 40 years of teaching all areas of paleontology at SLU. He has a broad background in paleontology. Visiting the classic Ordovician fossil beds of Cincinnati with his classes for 30 years has allowed him to think about its shelly fossils in ways that few have done. He has researched fossils throughout the entire Phanerozoic Eon.

NOTE: Suggested book: A Sea Without Fishes. D. L. Meyer and R. A. Davis (Indiana UP, 2009).

Cap: 16

LINKS:

• http://drydredgers.org/fieldtrips/trip200410/large/PA245084.JPG - photo of a common Bryozoan found encrusting the rock surfaces on this site, is Aspidopora
• http://drydredgers.org/bryo1.htm - about the "Bryozoa of the Cincinnatian" - by Jack Kallmeyer
• http://strata.uga.edu/cincy/links.html - selected Links for the Type Cincinnatian Series" - from the UGA Stratigraphy Lab.