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Not all geological periods are represented, but fossils dating to the Ordovocian, Silurian, and Devonian periods of the Paleozoic, and the Cretaceous period of the Mesozoic, are abundant in the New York region. “Plate tectonic configuration during Late Pre-Cambrian through Early Paleozoic time in the New York City region,” USGS, 2017 [Public Domain] In 1893, a young Yale paleontologist named Charles Emerson Beecher discovered a rich trove of well-preserved Ordovician fossils near Rome, New York, in Oneida County.

April 20, 2025 - Also, check out the Field Museum’s Beachgoer’s Guide to Lake Michigan Fossils and Rocks: https://www.fieldmuseum.org/blog/beachgoers-guide-lake-michigan-fossils-and-rocks ... Here’s a famous rock shop in the Chicago area: Dave’s Down-to-Earth Rock Shop in Evanston, Illinois: https://davesrockshop.com/

Jeremy Zimmerman (right) joined a Field Museum expedition to a Mazon Creek site in spring 2025. Fossils of 300-million-year-old plants and other organisms are buried in spoil piles left over from coal mining operations. (Courtesy of the Field Museum) Three hundred million years ago, what’s now Illinois was covered by an inland sea teeming with aquatic life. The sea is long gone, but the life is still there, roughly 60 miles southwest of Chicago.

March 18, 2025 - From batch sales of unopened rocks on eBay to discreet phone calls to higher-dollar patrons, Illinois’ commercial fossil trade is alive and well. ... Under McFetridge Drive in Chicago, two stories down in the catacombs of the Field Museum of Natural History, Jack Wittry slides open a handmade wooden drawer.

The trail we took was 6 miles long through some beautiful areas that went completely around Lake Ponderosa. At about the half way point around the lake the loose stones are in great abundance. Jellyfish and Shrimp fossils are laying everywhere. To easily find this area leave Route 66 at Godley by the Mining Museum.

January 2, 2025 - The great news is that John Boyd Thacher State Park is conveniently located, so it’s easy to get to. If you’re driving from Albany or nearby areas, you’ll find it’s just a short and scenic drive away.

June 18, 2020 - According to the Kansas Geological Survey, you can find them in the limestone that lines Kansas’s roads and highways. Bigger vertebrates have been found in some parts of Kansas, such as the official state fossil – Tylosaurus, a hefty, predatory, marine reptile similar to a monitor lizard or a snake.

Delaware offers a few sites for fossil collectors, and the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal and the Pollack Farm are the best. Other locations throughout the state also offer good hunting grounds for fossil collectors. Just south of Dagsboro, where Route 113 crosses Pepper Creek, the collector ...

March 15, 2025 - In this critical moment, Chicago needs strong local journalism. Stand with us. ... This site is free thanks to our community of supporters. Voluntary donations from readers like you keep our news accessible for everyone. Donation Options ... Arjan Mann, a paleontologist at the Field Museum of Natural History who specializes in Mazon Creek fossils, is studying what he thinks might be a new species of salamander ancestor.

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August 28, 2025 - Early in the 20th century, J. H. Bretz and H. A. Lowenstam studied the Silurian fossil reef systems of the Chicago area following a decline in scientific attention paid to the famous fossil reefs of similar age near Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Later, during the 1920s, strip mining for coal south of Braidwood generated piles of waste rock that would later become popular sites for fossil collection. These waste piles would later serve as the source for most Tully monster finds.

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May 20, 2025 - People working in Arjan Mann’s laboratory with the Field Museum and the Earth Science Club of Northern Illinois look for fossils at a Mazon Creek fossil bed, which used to be the location of a Peabody Energy mine, May 8, 2025, in Braceville, Illinois. The fossils can be found in the spoil tip, or pile of waste material, from the underground mine. (Audrey Richardson/Chicago Tribune)

February 12, 2017 - Public Friendliness: 100% Difficulty Level: Very Hard Location: Braidwood/Morris,IL Types of fossils: Pennsylvanian age Carboniferous concretions, 300-350 million years old. Common Finds: Jellyfish, an otherwise rarely preserved animal, are quite common here, among ferns, calamites, other plant material, worms, and the occasional insect. How to collect here: Just an hour’s drive from downtown Chicago, this world-class fossil site has 100+ acres of land from a former strip mine open for public fossil hunting to anyone from March 1-Sept 30th.

Top 10 Best Fossil Store in Chicago, IL - Last Updated August 2025 - Yelp - Fossil Outlet Store, Water Tower Place, Fashion Outlets of Chicago, Bloomingdale's, I & M Watch Repair & Jeweler, Dave's Down To Earth Rock Shop, Shinola, Paul Young Fine Jewelers

March 25, 2021 - Anyone know of good places in NY (close to NYC and Long Island) for fossil hunting ? Penn Dixie is way too far and I heard there are some good Devonian fossils in the Catskills. Any spot where I can find a sea scorpion or trilobite ?

August 5, 2025 - One of the "world's best fossil sites" is located just an hour outside of the Windy City, according to Chicago Field Museum researchers.

July 7, 2022 - Mike Phillips and I visited the site late last year with the park superintendent, park education coordinator, and Renee Clary (Mississippi State University expert on fossil parks around the U.S.). The site remains in excellent condition and the fossils are abundant! Details of access, development of educational materials, signage, etc. have not been decided. But this is wonderful progress! Much of the credit belongs to Mike Phillips, who has done most of the interaction with the various stakeholders in the state government. ... Paleontologist, geologist, ecologist, educator. Professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

August 26, 2014 - Fossils - Collection and preservation. ... Geoscience education no. 15 ... Use this login method if you don't have an @illinois.edu email address. (Oops, I do have one) IDEALS migrated to a new platform on June 23, 2022.