This is Mazon Monday post #200. What's your favorite Mazon Creek fossil? Tell us at email:[email protected]. Thanks!
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If you thought, "Oh... another Mazon Creek fossil for Fossil Friday"... You'd be wrong. This special little fossil shrimp is Peachocaris strongi. It hails from the old Astoria locality in western Illinois. Fossils from Astoria came from the Sunspot Mine. The locality was known for shrimp fossils, which were very common. The deposit features the same animals as Mazon Creek, including Tully Monsters, which is known from just three localities, Pit 11 (Braidwood), Morris, and Astoria. Although widely separated from the common Mazon exposures, the Francis Creek shale member is present above the Colchester Coal #2 in the stratigraphic sequence. Unfortunately, the mine has been recovered and is no longer available for collecting. The fossils were found in ironstone concretions very similar to Mazon Creek. P. strongi are also found in the Mazon Creek deposit. You can find out more in Mazon Monday #82.
Here's the special part.... this particular specimen was collected by Don Auler. Don was very active in ESCONI for a long time. Unfortunately, he passed away in 2002. This fossil was donated to the ESCONI sale by John Good, a past ESCONI president. Actually, John held many board positions over the years and still helps out at the annual show.
Don Auler is on the right
John Good collecting at Chowder Flats
Specimen photos
