This is the “Fossil Friday” post #38.  Expect this to be a somewhat regular feature of the website.  We will post any fossil pictures you send in to esconi.info@gmail.com.  Please include a short description or story.  Check the #FossilFriday Twitter hash tag for contributions from around the world!

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For our post today, we have one of the more common brachiopods of the Cincinnatian Series of the Ordovician System, which dates to about 450 million years ago. This brachiopod is Vinlandostrophia ponderosa, the former Platystrophia ponderosa..  There are other species in the genus Vinlandostrophia, which can be seen here.

Vinlandostrophia ponderosa Foerste, 1909
Occurrence: McMicken, Fairmount, Bellevue, Corryville, Mount Auburn, Arnheim
Reference: Alberstadt, 1979
Formerly Platystrophia ponderosa

These specimens were collected a few years ago at the ever popular St. Leon road cut, just northeast of Cincinnati. 

Here are the fossils.