SEM PHOTOGRAPHIC SURVEY OF LATE DEVONIAN (FRASNIAN) LIME CREEK FORMATION MICROFOSSILS FROM FOSSIL PRAIRIE PARK

The prolific fossil beds at Fossil Prairie Park in Rockford, Iowa are frequented by amateur fossil collectors and academic researchers alike. The diverse fossil taxa of the Lime Creek Formation date to the late Devonian Period and exhibit an impressive degree of preservation. Academically, this site is of interest for research because temporally it falls mid-way through the late-Devonian mass extinction (Kellwasser Event). Detailed and annotated images are extremely valuable for amateur collecting and research purposes and currently no modern, comprehensive monograph exists. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) images from this project will provide significant morphological detail necessary for identification for both micro and macrofauna. Such images facilitate broader research on the late Devonian extinction both at Fossil Prairie Park, and abroad. Ultimately, microfossils imaged for this project will contribute to a comprehensive identification field guide complete with images of micro and macrofauna.

Acknowledgment: Scott N. Schaefer, Department of Geoscience, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee; Anique N. Ruiz, WiscAMP STEM-Inspire Coordinator, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee; Funded by WiscAMP STEM-Inspire Program