Delocrinus missouriensis EarthCache
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Missouri: Delocrinus missouriensis
(state fossil)
Missouri has chosen a crinoid,
Delocrinus missouriensis, as its state fossil. This type of stalked
echinoderm, known as a "sea lily," was a common inhabitant of the
shallow sea that encroached on Missouri during the Pennsylvanian
Period, around 290 million years ago. Crinoids of various types
flourished in the oceans during most of the Paleozoic Era, and a
few still survive today as "living fossils."
Echinoderms as a group also include sea urchins and starfish. They
have pentagonal (five-fold) symmetry and an external skeleton
composed of many small calcium carbonate plates. These plates
interlock in sea urchins and sand dollars, increasing the
likelihood that a complete creature will fossilize. In crinoids,
the small ossicles usually dis articulate when the animal dies, and
complete fossils are rare, whereas the ossicles themselves are
abundant and widely collected.
Pennsylvanian limestones chock full of crinoid ossicles are
commonly exposed in Missouri, especially the Callaway and
Burlington Formations which outcrop near Springfield and Kansas
City. Because of this, a group of students at Pleasant Lea Jr. High
in Lee's Summit proposed the crinoid as the state fossil, and the
legislature passed Act 10.090 on June 16, 1989, officially honoring
Delocrinus missouriensis.
Parking is a available on the side of the road at this location
where you will find three outcroppings of limestone with an
abundance of crinoid fossils everywhere you look.
Although there is very little
traffic on this road please watch for cars and trucks.
To complete this cache you will
need to bring with you two items:
1. a digital camera
2. a 6" ruler or other measuring device of at least 6 inches
Answer the following:
1. To log the cache take and post a picture of your favorite
fossil area with your ruler next to the many crionoids. Count how
many crinoids segments are in any 6 inch area you selected that are
touching your ruler and list that information in your log.
2. What do the crinoids look like? Describe in your log what the
crinoid segments remind you of.
An additional photo of you at the
site with your gps would be a great also but not required.
Please leave all the fossils you
find at the site so everyone can enjoy them for a million more
years. The area may also have a bit of a trash problem. Please do
your part when visiting this site and try to remove at least one
piece of litter. We can all make a difference one item at a
time.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Vg'f nyy nobhg gur pevabvqf