Fossil Finds: Palo Pinto Roadcut
Pennsylvanian (Upper Carboniferous) west Mineral Wells roadcut Palo Pinto County, Texas. You could drive all the way to north central Texas and look for legal invertebrate fossil sites, or you could come with my team and me. I have already searched and found the best spots! This roadcut is the exact same age as Mineral Wells Fossil Park, but often has different members of this marine fauna.
Kingdom: Animalia – Phylum: Porifera (sponges)
Sponge Wewokella
Pennsylvanian (upper Carboniferous)
west Mineral Wells roadcut Palo Pinto County, Texas
Sponge Fissispongia jacksboroensis
Pennsylvanian (upper Carboniferous)
west Mineral Wells roadcut Palo Pinto County, Texas
Sponge Fissispongia
Pennsylvanian (upper Carboniferous)
west Mineral Wells roadcut Palo Pinto County, Texas
Unnamed Sponge
Pennsylvanian (upper Carboniferous)
west Mineral Wells roadcut Palo Pinto County, Texas
Kingdom: Animalia – Phylum: Cnidaria (coral)
Horn Coral Lyphophyllidum plummeri
Pennsylvanian (upper Carboniferous)
west Mineral Wells roadcut Palo Pinto County, Texas
Kingdom: Animalia – Phylum: Brozoa
Bryozoa Fenestella
Pennsylvanian (upper Carboniferous)
west Mineral Wells roadcut Palo Pinto County, Texas
Kingdom: Animalia – Phylum: Brachiopoda
Brachiopoda Spiriferids
Pennsylvanian (upper Carboniferous)
west Mineral Wells roadcut Palo Pinto County, Texas
Brachiopoda Parajuresania nebrascensis
Pennsylvanian (upper Carboniferous)
west Mineral Wells roadcut Palo Pinto County, Texas
Brachiopoda
Pennsylvanian (upper Carboniferous)
west Mineral Wells roadcut Palo Pinto County, Texas
Kingdom: Animalia – Phylum: Mollusca – Class: Bivalve (clams and oysters)
Bivalve Palaeoneilo oweni
Pennsylvanian (upper Carboniferous)
west Mineral Wells roadcut Palo Pinto County, Texas
Bivalve Astartella varica
Pennsylvanian (upper Carboniferous)
west Mineral Wells roadcut Palo Pinto County, Texas
Kingdom: Animalia – Phylum: Mollusca – Class: Gastropoda (snails)
Snail Bellerophon
Pennsylvanian (upper Carboniferous)
west Mineral Wells roadcut Palo Pinto County, Texas
Snail Ephemites carbonarus
Pennsylvanian (upper Carboniferous)
west Mineral Wells roadcut Palo Pinto County, Texas
Snail Trepospira illinoisensis
Pennsylvanian (upper Carboniferous)
west Mineral Wells roadcut Palo Pinto County, Texas
Snail Strobeus paludinaeformis
Pennsylvanian (upper Carboniferous)
west Mineral Wells roadcut Palo Pinto County, Texas
Snail Gastropoda
Pennsylvanian (upper Carboniferous)
west Mineral Wells roadcut Palo Pinto County, Texas
Snail Meekospira
Pennsylvanian (upper Carboniferous)
west Mineral Wells roadcut Palo Pinto County, Texas
Snail Meekospira
Pennsylvanian (upper Carboniferous)
west Mineral Wells roadcut Palo Pinto County, Texas
Snail Solensicus typicus
Pennsylvanian (upper Carboniferous)
west Mineral Wells roadcut Palo Pinto County, Texas
Snail Soleniscus primigeniuss
Pennsylvanian (upper Carboniferous)
west Mineral Wells roadcut Palo Pinto County, Texas (2)
Kingdom: Animalia – Phylum: Mollusca – Class: Cephalopoda (squid and octopi)
Ammonite Gonioloboceras
Pennsylvanian (upper Carboniferous)
west Mineral Wells roadcut Palo Pinto County, Texas
Nautiliod Mooreoceras
Pennsylvanian (upper Carboniferous)
west Mineral Wells roadcut Palo Pinto County, Texas
Kingdom: Animalia – Phylum: Mollusca – Class: Schopoda “Elephant Tusk”
Scaphopoda Elephant Tusk
Dentalium sp.
Pennsylvanian (upper Carboniferous)
west Mineral Wells roadcut Palo Pinto County, Texas
Kingdom: Animalia – Phylum: Echinodermata – Class: Echinoidea (sea urchins)
Sea Urchin Plate Archaeocidaris
Pennsylvanian (upper Carboniferous)
west Mineral Wells roadcut Palo Pinto County, Texas
Sea Urchin Spine Base Archaeocidaris
Pennsylvanian (upper Carboniferous)
west Mineral Wells roadcut Palo Pinto County, Texas
Sea Urchin Spine Archaeocidaris
Pennsylvanian (upper Carboniferous)
west Mineral Wells roadcut Palo Pinto County, Texas
Kingdom: Animalia – Phylum: Echinodermata – Class: Crinoidea
Crinoid Columns
Pennsylvanian (upper Carboniferous)
west Mineral Wells roadcut Palo Pinto County, Texas
Crinoid Columns
Pennsylvanian (upper Carboniferous)
west Mineral Wells roadcut Palo Pinto County, Texas
Crinoid Columns
Pennsylvanian (upper Carboniferous)
west Mineral Wells roadcut Palo Pinto County, Texas
Crinoid Column in matrix
Pennsylvanian (upper Carboniferous)
west Mineral Wells roadcut Palo Pinto County, Texas
Crinoid Column in matrix
Pennsylvanian (upper Carboniferous)
west Mineral Wells roadcut Palo Pinto County, Texas
Kingdom: Animalia – Phylum: Arthropoda – Class: Trilobite
Trilobite eroded pygidium
Pennsylvanian (upper Carboniferous)
west Mineral Wells roadcut Palo Pinto County, Texas
Kingdom: Animalia – Phylum: Chordata- Class: Chondrichthyes
Shark teeth are possible
I have not found one yet
I do have one from the Jacksboro spillway of similar age.