Cretaceous Fossils From The Chesapeake And Delaware Canal: A Guide For Students And Collectors
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Date
1988-09
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Newark, DE: Delaware Geological Survey, University of Delaware
Abstract
Fossil collectors have been attracted to Delaware since the late 1820s when the excavation of the Chesapeake and Delaware (C&D) Canal first exposed marine fossils of Cretaceous age. Since then, many technical and nontechnical works have been written about the fossils. However, there has not been a single source for casual or student collectors to turn to for help in the identification of typical finds. This paper is written to fill that void as well as provide general information about fossils and specific information on geologic formations and collecting localities at the Canal.
This report is not designed to be an encyclopedia on the fossils of the Canal but focuses on those fossils found most frequently. The majority of the fossils collected today are from the spoil areas in the vicinity of the Reedy Point Bridge. Thus, the chapter on classification concentrates on the fossils of the Mount Laurel Formation, the stratigraphic unit dredged in that area.
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Keywords
cretaceous fossils, Chesapeake and Delaware Canal, Mount Laurel Formation, microscopic foraminifera, plant microfossils, invertebrate fossils