Mineral Wells Fossil Park

Mineral Wells, Texas

By Lisa Moran

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You might have noticed the letters “L.H” on many of the

fossil pictures. “L.H.” stands for Lance Hall. Mr. Hall is a

fossil hunter just like you. Here is the link to Mr. Hall’s

website:

http://www.northtexasfossils.com/

If you or your Mom and Dad want more information about the

Fossil Park, there is also a website that has more to tell you.

www.mineralwellsfossilpark.com

There are lots of great places in Texas to hunt fossils. If you

want to find out what kind of fossil you have, there is a book

by Charles Finsley that would be very helpful. The book is

called A Field Guide to Fossils of Texas. The fossils you find

today will be in this book too.

If you thought the maps of the earth were cool, this is Dr.

Blakey’s map website:

http://www2.nau.edu/rcb7/

Have fun, stay safe and find

lots of fossil treasures!

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The world was a much different place when the animals were

alive in the Fossil Park.

Here is what the world looked like about 300 million years ago.

Can you find Texas? Does Texas look the same today?

Dr.Blakey Map

Dr. Blakey Map

The last type of animal is called a sponge. (They are not like the

sponges in your kitchen.) This animal does not move around

after it grows up. If the sponge cannot find a rock to attach to,

sometimes they will drill a hole in a shell and attach themselves

to the shell. If you find a hole in a shell today, a sponge might

have made that hole millions of years ago.

Here’s what the sponges in the Fossil Park look like:

The fossils and animals shown in this book are not the only

ones you can find in the Park. Keep a sharp eye on the ground.

Almost wherever you step, you will step on a fossil. If it is hard

to find a fossil, sit down and look at the same place for a little

while. You will be surprised how many fossils you will find by

just sitting down.

Happy Hunting!

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L.H. L.H.

When you are standing in the Fossil Park, imagine that you are

under the sea. About 305 million years ago, this fossil park was

the bottom of an ocean called the Mid-Continent Sea. There

were a lot of strange animals on the bottom of that ocean. Most

of these animals do not exist anymore. As you can see, the

ocean is not here anymore either. That’s a good thing because

you won’t need your bathing suit or flippers to go fossil hunting

today.

This picture is from a museum at the University of Michigan and is probably

a pretty good guess as to how the ocean looked in Mineral Wells millions of

years ago.

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Have you ever heard of the animal called a bryozoan (BRY-uh-

zoh-un)? This animal is also called a “moss-animal” because

they are often found growing on top of other animals. There are

a few types at the Fossil Park.

The little holes are where the animals lived. They had quite a

few more neighbors than you do. (The bryozoans on the left

grew on top of a crinoid stem.)

Corals are also tiny animals with lots of neighbors. You might

find some corals here too. Here are some corals that can be

found in the park.

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L.H. L.H.

L.H. L.H.

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What is a fossil?

Fossils are the bones and shells of animals and plants that

become buried in the mud after they die. After millions of years,

these bones and shells eventually turn into rocks (minerals).

Something very cool about these rocks is that they often keep

the shape of the animal. They are copies of the animals!

These pictures are from a great website:

http://www.discoveringfossils.co.uk/whatisafossil.htm

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You also might find a shark tooth. No one really knows what

the sharks looked like. We only find their teeth. Here are a few

pictures of the shark teeth from the park.

One artist’s idea of what the shark might have looked like.

What do you think the shark might have looked like? Draw it in

the box.

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Ray Troll

L.H. L.H.

What will I find at the Fossil Park?

There are many different types of fossils you might find today.

One of these is called a crinoid (cry-noyd). These are animals

that looked like plants. There might be pieces of stalks and

pieces of the cup (flowery part) here today. Crinoid fossils look

like this:

The crinoid animal looks like this:

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L.H L.H.

L.H. L.H.

Smithsonian Photo Gallery Smithsonian Photo Gallery

You might find fossils of gastropods. Gastropod is a scientific

way of saying snail. Did you know some snails live in the

ocean? Where do you think these snails lived?

Here are some gastropods you might find today:

There are several types of snails at the Fossil Park. Can you find

at least 3 different kinds of snail shells?

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L.H. L.H.

L.H. L.H.

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Brachiopods (brey-kee-uh-podz) can also be found here. These

animals lived in the mud. They had a long stalk called a pedicle

that kept them in place.

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Some of the brachiopods you might find today are:

There are many varieties of brachiopods here at the fossil park.

I have only shown three. How many different ones did you find

today?

Fenton & Fenton 1958

L.H. L.H.. L.H.

Chonetinella Neospirifier Punctospirifer

One of my favorite fossils to look for is called a trilobite.

Trilobites looked like bugs scampering on the ocean floor.

Some trilobites were almost 2 feet long! Can you imagine

running into a 2 foot long bug? Yikes! Thankfully, the trilobites

here are very small. Trilobites are hard to find in the Fossil

Park. They are here somewhere, I promise. Will you be one to

find a trilobite today?

Here is what an artist thinks the trilobites looked like:

Here is a trilobite from the Park. I hope you find one!

Heinrich Harder

L.H.