The other main objective of collectors that day, was to find crinoids. The method here is a little different than with trilbites. For crinoids, you first look for large quantities of crinoid stems, as seen in the picture below.

Next, you find the layer of shale the crinoids are weathering from by following the trail of stem fragments up the slope until the trail stops.

 
"Hey! Don't throw that slab down here!"

Well, as Bob illustrates below, look for layers of shale that are in situ, that is to say, the layers are not washed down from higher up.

Then examine each layer for signs of crinoid stems. The picture below shows two crinoid stems that have not yet weathered out of the shale.
 

Carefully clear the shale from above the stems, as the picture below shows. If you are lucky, there will be a calyx (head) on the end of that crinoid stem.
   

Next Page: Finding Brachiopods

October 2003 Field Trip
Table of Contents

Page 1: Introduction and the Search for Trilobites
Page 2: Crinoid Hunting
Page 3: Finding Brachiopods
Page 4: After Collecting
Page 5: Some Fossils Found That Day: Trilobites
Page 6: Some Fossils Found That Day: Crinoids and Corals
Page 7: Other Fossils and Minerals Found That Day

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