A Guide to Pennsylvanian Carboniferous-Age Plant Fossils of Southwest Virginia.
()
About this ebook
Thomas F. Mcloughlin
This publication has been designed with the amateur (rock hound) as well as a virtual guide for the more advanced collectors. Explanation of the different groups of plants in as close to layman's terms as possible. This book contains 71 Plates and over 300 pictures and illustrations, the majority of which are in full color. A Bachelor of Science degree was earned while attending Morehead State University at Morehead, Kentucky. In December of 1979, I completed my Master's of Science thesis in geology at Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond, Kentucky. Then in June 1980, I joined the US Department of Labor Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA). I stayed with this agency as a geologist and coal mine inspector for twenty-eight years, collecting plant fossils in the coal mines, and then after retirement, I explored outcrops (road cuts) in Southwestern Virginia and parts of West Virginia for an additional 2 years. For approximately twenty-six years, I taught introduction to geology courses at colleges in Cumberland, Kentucky, and Wise, Virginia. I started out in geology as a rock hound, collecting rocks, minerals, and fossils. By the end of high school, I decided to become a geologist and attended college. Actually, my parents insisted that I leave home because it was overtaken my rock samples. During high school and college, I practiced lapidary work, making jewelry from minerals and rocks. Presently, I am a coal miner instructor and a coal mining consultant.
Read more from Thomas F. Mcloughlin
Plant Fossil Atlas From (Pennsylvanian) Carboniferous Age Found in Central Appalachian Coalfields Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Guide to Pennsylvanian (Carboniferous) Age Plant Fossils of Southwest Virginia Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to A Guide to Pennsylvanian Carboniferous-Age Plant Fossils of Southwest Virginia.
Related ebooks
An Introduction to Paleobotany Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Guide to Pennsylvanian (Carboniferous) Age Plant Fossils of Southwest Virginia Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBat Roosts in Rock: A Guide to Identification and Assessment for Climbers, Cavers & Ecology Professionals Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHow Vertebrates Left the Water Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Dinosaur Paleobiology Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Great Basin: A Natural Prehistory Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Freshwater Fishes: 250 Million Years of Evolutionary History Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAustralia's Fossil Heritage: A Catalogue of Important Australian Fossil Sites Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Monograph of the Trilobites of North America: with Coloured Models of the Species Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLakes, Loughs and Lochs Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Oceans: A Deep History Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Geopedia: A Brief Compendium of Geologic Curiosities Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsField Guide to the Seashores of South-Eastern Australia Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPLANT FOSSIL ATLAS from (Pennsylvanian) CARBONIFEROUS AGE FOUND in Central Appalachian Coalfields Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Chain of Life in Geological Time: A Sketch of the Origin and Succession of Animals and Plants Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTracks and Shadows: Field Biology as Art Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Vegetation of Australian Riverine Landscapes: Biology, Ecology and Management Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Marine World: A Natural History of Ocean Life Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMore Tree Talk: The People, Politics, and Economics of Timber Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Social Calls of the Bats of Britain and Ireland: Expanded and Revised Second Edition Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBirds in Winter: Surviving the Most Challenging Season Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Drama of a Rural Community’s Life Cycle: Its Prehistory, Birth, Growth, Maturity, Decline, and Rebirth Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsNoah's Ravens: Interpreting the Makers of Tridactyl Dinosaur Footprints Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Re-Origin of Species: a second chance for extinct animals Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Far from Land: The Mysterious Lives of Seabirds Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Was This Marsupial A Lion: Or A Pouch-Robbing, Meat-Browsing, Cookie-Cutting Koala? Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCommon Mosses, Liverworts, and Lichens of Ohio: A Visual Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsProtecting Life on Earth: An Introduction to the Science of Conservation Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCSIRO List of Australian Vertebrates: A Reference with Conservation Status Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Fragmented Forest: Island Biogeography Theory and the Preservation of Biotic Diversity Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Nature For You
The God Delusion Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Silent Spring Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration into the Wonder of Consciousness Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5SAS Survival Handbook, Third Edition: The Ultimate Guide to Surviving Anywhere Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Why Fish Don't Exist: A Story of Loss, Love, and the Hidden Order of Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Forager's Harvest: A Guide to Identifying, Harvesting, and Preparing Edible Wild Plants Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Floriography: An Illustrated Guide to the Victorian Language of Flowers Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lucky Dog Lessons: From Renowned Expert Dog Trainer and Host of Lucky Dog: Reunions Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Foraging for Survival: Edible Wild Plants of North America Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMy Family and Other Animals Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Solace of Open Spaces: Essays Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5H Is for Hawk Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Fantastic Fungi: How Mushrooms Can Heal, Shift Consciousness, and Save the Planet Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Beyond Coffee: A Sustainable Guide to Nootropics, Adaptogens, and Mushrooms Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Shelter: A Love Letter to Trees Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Hunt for the Skinwalker: Science Confronts the Unexplained at a Remote Ranch in Utah Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Well-Gardened Mind: The Restorative Power of Nature Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Heartbeat of Trees: Embracing Our Ancient Bond with Forests and Nature Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Edible Wild Plants Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Summary of Bill Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Norwegian Wood: Chopping, Stacking, and Drying Wood the Scandinavian Way Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Corfu Trilogy: My Family and Other Animals; Birds, Beasts and Relatives; and The Garden of the Gods Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Complete Language of Flowers: A Definitive and Illustrated History Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Field Guide to Dumb Birds of North America Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Foraging: The Ultimate Beginners Guide to Foraging Wild Edible Plants and Medicinal Herbs Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related categories
Reviews for A Guide to Pennsylvanian Carboniferous-Age Plant Fossils of Southwest Virginia.
0 ratings0 reviews
Book preview
A Guide to Pennsylvanian Carboniferous-Age Plant Fossils of Southwest Virginia. - Thomas F. Mcloughlin
© Copyright 2016 Thomas F. McLoughlin.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written prior permission of the author.
ISBN: 978-1-4907-7503-6(sc)
ISBN: 978-1-4907-7504-3(e)
Library of Congress Control Number: 2016911119
Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.
Our mission is to efficiently provide the world’s finest, most comprehensive book publishing service, enabling every author to experience success. To find out how to publish your book, your way, and have it available worldwide, visit us online at www.trafford.com
Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.
Trafford rev. 11/11/2016
4322.png www.trafford.com
North America & international
toll-free: 1 888 232 4444 (USA & Canada)
fax: 812 355 4082
image%2001.tifPennsylvanian coal swamp vegetation reconstruction, a composite of many plant types growing in and around the swamp (Kukuk, Paul, 1938).
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
This book could not have been completed without the dedicated help of Cortland F. Eble, Ph.D. and Alton Dooley who are paleontologists with the Kentucky Geological Survey in Lexington, Kentucky and the Museum of Natural History in Martinsville, Virginia, respectively. They helped edit the manuscript. Assistance in the classification of many of the fern fossils was given by Dr. Shusheng Hu, who is a paleobotonist and Collections manager Division of Paleobotony at the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History in New Haven, Connecticut.
I also want to thank My wife, Beth, for her patience and tolerance for the numerous boxes of fossil specimens in our home. She was very relieved when I donated the collection to the Museum of Natural History.
All of the fossils listed in the plates were collected by and photographed by the author.
FOREWORD
I have spent the last twenty-seven-plus years in and around the bituminous coal mines of southwestern Virginia. When coal miners learn I am a geologist, the most popular question has been what are the kinds of fossils we see in a mine roof?
I give my best reply, but it is difficult to relate to them that the plant impressions represent vegetation that grew in peat-forming swamps millions of years ago. Most people recognize the fern-like fossils, but have been confused about the identity of a portion of tree root versus the tree itself. Many believe that the fossils are not those of ancient vegetation, but instead are the preserved remains of fish or reptiles.
I became interested in geology because of the fossils and it is the goal of this publication to share my accumulated experience in the area of basic paleobotany and furnish a pictorial guide to the identification of the more common Carbonaceous age plant fossils from the coal fields of Virginia. Those especially targeted are the rock hounds and aspiring geologists of all ages.
In 1977, I received my Bachelor of Science degree from Morehead State University (MSU) in Morehead, Kentucky. In the spring of 1980, I graduated from Eastern Kentucky University (EKU) in Richmond, Kentucky with a Master of Science degree in geology.
During those years, the majority of my geologic experiences centered on the geologic aspects of underground coal mine roof stability by benefit of U.S. Bureau of Mines contracts awarded to a professor at MSU, Dr. David K. Hylbert. I owe a large part of my success as a geologist to Dr. Hylbert, Dr. Harry Hoge, my thesis adviser at EKU, and Dr. Jules DuBar, my paleontology professor while I was at MSU. Therefore, I wish to dedicate this publication to them as thanks for their guidance and inspiration.
INTRODUCTION
Fossils have excited people for a long time but for about 400 years, the term was used to describe almost anything that looked like it had organic origins and was dug up from the Earth. Fossil
is defined by paleontologists as any object that represents the presence of a