Fossil Hunting in Kentucky
Kentucky offers fossil collectors a chance to look for fossils from at least eight different geological periods. Ancient Kentucky had a tropical climate, with swamps, rivers and seas. Many of the fossil beds contain corals and shellfish, but mammalian fossils exist there as well. Both the Kentucky Geological Survey and the Kentucky Paleontological Society serve as valuable resources for exploring this geologically rich state.
Time Frame
Kentucky fossil beds cover the Quaternary, Tertiary, Cretaceous, Pennsylvanian, Mississippian, Devonian, Silurian and Ordovician Periods. Marine fossils are common, but fossils of plants are common in Pennsylvanian, Cretaceous and Tertiary rocks, and Quaternary areas may have mammalian fossils such as mammoths and sloths. Triassic and Jurassic fossils are absent from Kentucky fossil beds.
Lexington Limestone
Sedimentary rock such as limestone forms most of the fossil beds in Kentucky. The Lexington Limestone formation is a major source of Ordovician fossils, including trilobites, corals, gastropods and sponges. The members (the different sections) of this limestone formation are fairly distinct and recognizable. KPS advises that learning what the different members look like "will enhance your chance of finding nice fossils."
Assistance
The KGS does not have maps of areas where you can find fossils. However, it offers geological quadrangle maps to help you find your way around the state. KPS meets monthly and schedules annual field trips to different counties. You do not have to be a KPS member to attend the meetings.
Permissions and Notifications
Respect not only the fossils, but lands and laws as well. If you venture onto private land, make sure you have the owner's permission. KPS advises that any fossils or items that may be Indian fall under the Kentucky Antiquities Act, and the law requires you to report these to the Department of Anthropology at the University of Kentucky. Failure to report is a felony.
Warning
In a notice on the KPS website, society president Dan Phelps warned fossil hunters that someone has been selling fake track fossils in Kentucky. He notes that not only have they been on display at a gem and mineral show but in a local store as well. Phelps saw some similar "tracks" earlier and determined they were modern carvings and not fossilized tracks or Indian carvings. He writes that the tracks were too shallow for a large animal walking in mud. He believes the impression was too level and did not show the changes in depth expected from something actually taking a heel-to-toe step. There were several other indicators as well.
Tags: fossil beds, advises that, Fossil Hunting, Fossil Hunting Kentucky, Hunting Kentucky
