This is the "Fossil Friday" post #14. Expect this to be a somewhat regular feature of the website. We will post any fossil pictures you send in to [email protected]. Please include a short description or story. Check the #FossilFriday Twitter hash tag for contributions from around the world!
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Brachiopods are very common fossils in the Paleozoic. They come in a variety of different forms. They Permian of Kansas (~290 million years ago) had a pretty large diversity with species like smooth Composita, to spiky pointed Spirifers, to larger Derbyia. These same fossils can be found in many deposits that range in time from the Carboniferous to the Permian and in place from Arizona, to Texas, to Kansas, and more. A good portion of the central and western US was a shallow sea for parts of these periods.
Here are some examples of what you can find in the Wolfcampian Formation in eastern Kansas. This dates to about 290 million years ago. This formation actually contains the contact point between the Carboniferous and the Permian (along I-70 just west of Topeka).
Derbyia
Spirifera
Composita
Neochonetes
Wellerella
Juresania