This is the “Fossil Friday” post #232.  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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Knob Noster is a fossil deposit contemporaneous with Mazon Creek, which dates to about 308 million years ago.  Currently, the Knob Noster locality is thought to have be located across a large bay from the Mazon Creek locality.  Both were just south of the equator in the tropical Pennsylvanian seas.  The red dot below represents Wilmington, IL 300 million years ago.  Looking at the outline of Missouri, Knob Noster is in the middle west portion of Missouri, just southeast of Kansas City.

Fossils from Knob Noster are found in concretions similar to Mazon Creek.  But, the Matrix is quite a bit different, being much lighter in both color and weight.

We’ve featured Knob Noster fossils for a few Fossil Fridays… Fossil Friday #84 – a spider, Fossil Friday #87 – Neuropteris vermicularis, and Fossil Friday #98 – Macroneuropteris scheuchzeri.  All of those specimens were available at the 2021 MAPS show in Springfield, IL.  They were sold by Chuck Barlow, who lives in Knob Noster, MO.  Chuck digs up the concretions from a deposit on his property.   He recently reached out with these photos of some new beautiful fossils.  These will be available for purchase at the MAPS show from October 18th – 20th, 2024 in Springfield, IL.  In 2021, he had a large selection available.  So, if you make it to MAPS in a few weeks, make sure you stop by his booth. 

Thanks for sharing, Chuck!

Annularia sp.

Annularia sphenophylloides

Palaeoxyris  sp.

A eurypterid… Windor, MO, a locality near Knob Noster is known for these.