Fossils
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BIVALVES   BRACHIAPODS   BRYAZOA   CASTS   CEPHALOPODS   CRINOIDS   GASTROPODS   HORN CORALS   SPIRIFERS   SPONGE CORALS  TRILOBITES   OTHER FOSSILS

Fossils are the remains of animals and plants that died long ago. Their remains have been replaced by minerals and the resultant cast is called a fossil. Most of the time, the fossil is made of rock harder than the surrounding rock and so it survives. As the host rock erodes, the fossil weathers out and rolls away - often onto a beach or in a creek bed. Fossils are a great record of living things from a long time ago.

Fossils are interesting to look at even if you don't know what they are called or when they were formed. Many fossils look similar to plants and animals that still live today.

 
 
 
 

Trilobites

 
     
       
       

Gastropods

 
GASTROPOD FOSSIL
wave action
DESCRIPTION: This gray, snail-like fossil was buried underneath mud & sand when it died. The layers of mud turned into limestone. As the limestone along the beach was hit by the waves, the rock crumbled and the harder fossils fell onto the beach. The constant movement of the waves smoothed out the fossil as it rolled along the bottom of the water. It was being scrubbed by the sand & waves.

ORIGIN: Presquile Provincial Park, Ontario		  
   
       

Horn Corals

 
Heliophyllum halli horn coral - Rugosa

ORIGIN: Arkona, Ontario
Geodized fossils		  
       

Sponge Corals

This fossil looks like a honeycomb. Sponge coral fossils exist because many years ago corals were covered in mud & sediment which turned into limestone.

SPONGE CORAL FOSSIL freeze / thaw cycle
DESCRIPTION:  Because the sponge coral has so many hollow cells, water gets in them and freezes over the winter. Because water expands when it freezes, it will cause cracks & break the fossil into pieces. The edges are sharp.

ORIGIN: Manitoulin Island, Ontario

    
   
       

Cephalopods

   
     
       
       

 

Crinoids

     
       
       
Crinoid fossils are so common in the river gravel in Indiana, that you can find crinoid pieces in concrete.

ORIGIN: Indiana, USA

    

Casts

   
       
       
       

 

Spirifers

     
       
       
       

 

Bivalves

     
       
       
       

Brachiapods

 
   

 

Bryozoa

     
       
       
       

Other Fossils

favosite  
     
Fossils fro the Mara Quarry, Ontario  
       

 

 

 

 

 

shark teeth

Bryozoa
   

 

  
   
   

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