Relative and fossil age dating of the Llewellyn places it in the late-Middle to Late Pennsylvanian, being deposited between 308 to 300 (±1) million years ago.
The Montour Preserve Fossil Pit consists of approximately one acre of exposed Mahantango Formation shale. Pennsylvania is one of the few places where one can find these very detailed white (sometimes yellow) ferns on a striking contract of black organic shale. So they are loose on the ground, but you can also find fossils embedded in the shale bedrock on the edges of the pit. Kid Fact - Tell mom and dad that Hershey, PA is just down the road! Crinoids: Crinoids, also known as sea lilies, appear to be sea plants but are not plants at all. In other parts of Pennsylvania, a wide variety of fossils occur. Fossils can be abundant here if you know where to look. The old tailing piles are often full of quartz, garnet, pyrite, and calcite crystals. Fossils from Pennsylvania. Formed some 395 million years ago during the Devonian Period when much of Pennsylvania was covered by a warm, shallow sea, these shales are particularly rich in fossils. 4. Many of the old mines and quarries in Pennsylvania are great places to search for gems and minerals. Dump site is on Left just past road on left near Lebanon County line roughly 40.52165N-76.47895W In spoil pile material removed from Swatara Gap during construction work on I81 in 2004 -- reported (2006)to be completely worked over although a few Devonian Mahantango Fm fossils may be found …
Tips - The fossils were actually dumped here, and originally came from a construction site on I-81.
The most popular and most often found fossil in Pennsylvania is Phacops Rana , which is also the state fossil. Fossils have been recovered from every rock type in the Llewellyn but are predominantly found in the siltstone, shale, and coal layers. Crinoids are from the echinoderm species - a group of invertebrate animals that includes sea urchins, brittle stars, sand dollars, starfish, and sea cucumbers.
Fossil hunters from all around have come to dig through the sedimentary rocks that formed in the ocean, hoping to find a rare fossil. The most commonly found fossils at this site are Pelecypods (oyster, mussel and clam-type species), Cephalopods, Brachiopods (lamp shells), Byrozoans (moss-like animals), Crinoids, Gastropods (snail-like creatures), Corals … The state also has a number of other quarries and rivers where marine fossils can be found. Formed some 395 million years ago during the Devonian Period when much of Pennsylvania was covered by a warm, shallow sea, these shales are particularly rich in fossils. All State Fossils. The Mud Grubb Lake located between the towns of Mountville and Columbia in the Lancaster County, the Brookdale Mine located at Phoenixville in Chester County and the Rossville Road Cut which is around a mile to the north of Rossville are some locations in Pennsylvania to find quartz. Located in the central region of the state, this park is centered around Beltzville Lake, which was originally the site of a quarry. St. Clair, Pennsylvania ITEM# PLANT-Pennsylvania-0001 This is a nice example of a variety of fossil plants (mostly ferns) from the Pennsylvanian of the Llewellyn Formation. Montour Preserve in Danville lays claim to a one acre fossil pit, where explorers can find fossils that date back nearly 400 million years. There are quite a few places where quartz crystals can be found in Pennsylvania.