Steubenville's own Beatty Park is the home of a nice 430 million year old Lepidodendron tree fossil. Lepidodendron thrived during the Carboniferous Period and were related to the Club Mosses and were part of the coal forest flora. The leaves of this tree were needle-like and were densely spiraled about young shoots, each possessing only a single vein. The trunks were often over 1 meter in diameter and reached heights of 50 meters. They are often known as "scale trees", due to their bark having been covered in diamond shaped leaf-bases, from which leaves grew during earlier stages of growth.
I first found this fossil in early 2020 while looking for the nearby Under the Lot cache. At the time, the park wasn't as cleaned up as it is and there wasn't a lot of information regarding the fossil other than the paper nailed to the tree behind it. Now you can find a nice bench and informative park sign at the start of the black trail.
To find the fossil and get credit for the earthcache, start at the posted trailhead and continue to follow the yellow trail. After about a third of a mile you will come to the bench and the start of the black trail. Take the black trail up and it will lead you to the fossil. PLEASE do not touch or sit on this fossil. The oils on our skin can destroy the fossil. Please be respectful of the park and the future of the fossil by not putting it at risk.
To get credit for the earthcache, message answers to the following questions:
1: By looking at the fossil only (please don't touch it), how long would you guess the fossil to be?
2: Based on the pattern of the fossil, what part of the tree is visible on the fossil?
4: Optional post (or send) a picture of yourself or GPS with the stone in the shot.
More information on Lepidodendron can be found here
Be sure to enjoy the rest of the trails in the park and the rest of the caches hidden here.
Happy Caching!
