22 Geosciences Education (Posters)

Sunday, 19 March 2017
1:30 PM - 5:30 PM
Grand Ballroom, 17th Floor

PALEONTOLOGY LABORATORY EXERCISE USING MAZON CREEK PLANT FOSSILS

Paper number: 22-3
Program: Technical Sessions
Time: 1:30 PM – 5:30 PM

Authors

Abstract

Mazon Creek is an internationally-known locale in Illinois where many fossils exhibiting exceptional preservation have been collected. These fossil beds are a product of the vast coal swamps that dominated the Pennsylvanian Period (323-298 Ma). This laboratory exercise focuses on Mazon Creek plant fossils, with specific attention given to identification, preservation, and paleoecology. The exercise is designed around some of the most common plant fossil genera from Mazon Creek (Annularia, Calamites, Lepidodendron, Neurpteris, Pecopteris, Cyclopteris, etc.). The exercise requires students to apply close observation skills and to think critically about the greater context of the fossil assemblage. The exercise is composed of short, self-contained sections so that it can be easily modified to suit instructor interest and specimen availability.

Key words: Mazon Creek, plant fossils, Pennsylvanian, paleontology, laboratory exercise

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 49, No. 2

doi: 10.1130/abs/2017NE-290454

© Copyright 2017 The Geological Society of America (GSA), all rights reserved. Permission is hereby granted to the author(s) of this abstract to reproduce and distribute it freely, for noncommercial purposes. Permission is hereby granted to any individual scientist to download a single copy of this electronic file and reproduce up to 20 paper copies for noncommercial purposes advancing science and education, including classroom use, providing all reproductions include the complete content shown here, including the author information. All other forms of reproduction and/or transmittal are prohibited without written permission from GSA Copyright Permissions.