Monday, March 23, 2009

Berea Mystery Fossil


This fossil, inside a nodule of iron-saturated chert, was discovered in a creek bed approximately 1.5 miles southeast of Berea. Identification of just what it's a fossil of has baffled scientists.

It most closely resembles a sort of a squashed orthoconic nautiloid, but that would be extremely rare in the geological strata at which this fossil was found.

The photo below is one such orthoconic nautiloid fossil, also found in Kentucky. However, this specimen is from the Ordovician period, whereas the mystery fossil is believed to be either Mississipian or Devonian.


See more images of the mystery fossil here.

No comments: