Fossils in Pocahontas

 

The sources indicate several locations near Huntersville where fossils have been found, along with the types of fossils discovered:

• Knapp Creek Area:

  • Fossil Tree Horizon: Near the middle of the Chemung Series, at Stove Hill along Laurel Creek on State Route 43, and along Knapp Creek, a Fossil Tree Horizon was found. This horizon contains fossilized tree trunks.
  • Along Knapp Creek, 4.5 miles east of Marlinton, at an elevation of 2200', are found marine and plant fossils of the Chemung Series.
  • Along State Road 43 along Knapp Creek, 4.5 miles east of Marlinton, are found Chemung Series fossils.

• Along State Route 43 near Huntersville:

  • Clinton Series: One-fourth mile southeast of Huntersville, the Keefer Sandstone (Quartzite) of the Clinton age is exposed.
  • One-half mile southeast of Huntersville, the Clinton Series has a fossil ore horizon with thin beds of iron ore, grading into buff and brown shale, with thin limestone beds.
  • 0.3 mile northwest of the bridge across Browns Creek, along Highway 43, marine fossils of the Portage Series were discovered.
  • 0.4 mile southeast of Huntersville along State Road 43, marine fossils of the Helderberg Series, Keyser member, were located. These include ostracods, gastropods, and brachiopod fragments.
  • 0.6 mile southeast of Huntersville along State Road 43, marine fossils of the Clinton Series, Rochester Shale (of Maryland) were found.
  • 0.7 mile southeast of Huntersville along State Road, marine fossils of the White Medina Series were found.
  • 0.7 mile southeast of Huntersville along State Road 43, marine fossils of the Salina Series, Bossardville Limestone, were located.
  • 0.8 mile southeast of Huntersville, Red Medina Series fossils were collected.

• Other Locations:

  • Marcellus Shale: At Huntersville, black, argillaceous, squeezed shale (lower part of Marcellus) is exposed.
  • Hamilton Series: At the south end of the Huntersville bridge, road ballast was found to contain Hamilton Series fossils including Chonetes coronatus, Spirifer consobrinus, and Ambocoelia virginiana.
  • 0.6 mile north of Huntersville, twigs and plants of the Portage Series were found.
  • One mile northwest of Huntersville, marine fossils of the Chemung Series, Atrypa hystrix zone were discovered.

• Specific Fossils Identified:

  • Algae have been identified in the Keel Medina Series along the Knapp Creek gorge east of Huntersville.
  • Arthrophycus harlani and Scolithus are found in the White Medina (Clinch, Tuscarora).
  • The Genesee Series in the area contains pelecypods, cephalopods, and pteropods. Common species are Pterochaenia fragilis, Buchiola retrostriata, Styliolina fissurella, and Bactrites aciculus.
  • The Hamilton Series near Huntersville contains fossils such as Coleolus tenuicinctus, Lingulella paliformis, Palaeoneilo, and Conularia undulata.
  • Oriskany Series fossils are found in the Huntersville Chert, including: Orbiculoidea ampla, Leptaena rhomboidalis, Schuchertella woolworthana, Diaphorostoma ventricosum, and Diaphorostoma depressum.
  • The Helderberg Series contains Favosites niagarensis, ostracods and fragments of other marine fossils.
  • The Niagara Series near Huntersville contains Favosites, Leptaena rhomboidalis, gastropods, and several species of ostracods.
  • Clinton Series fossils near Huntersville include Camarotoechia neglecta and Meristina sp..
  • The Bossardville Limestone near Huntersville has fossils including Camarotoechia tonolowayensis and Camarotoechia litchfieldensis.

These findings indicate a diverse range of marine and plant fossils in the Huntersville area, representing different geological periods. The area's geological formations, including sandstone, shale, and limestone, have preserved a variety of life forms from the Silurian, Devonian, and other periods.