Cincinnati Area

Cincinnati Arch

Upper Ordovician


The Cincinnati area is famous for its Ordovician marine fossils. The area has a myriad of road cuts, each one a unique opportunity.
In the 18 years since this page was first posted, I have hunted here dozens of times.
The story is still the same. Every road cut is an opportunity.


Fossil Hunting in Cincinnati
August 2000



The Cincinnati area is famous for its Ordovician marine fossils.
The area has a myriad of road cuts, each one a unique opportunity.
We spent the better part of two days hunting, enjoying perfect weather.



Here is Karin at the St. Leon cut on Hwy 1, in SE Indiana.



Here I am with my find of the day, a near perfect enrolled trilobite! (Flexicalymene meeki)



The density of fossils in the strata of the Cincinnatian formations is stunning.



Our haul fit into two shoeboxes and made the flight back to California in good shape.



I found the two small ones at St. Leon,
about in the middle of the third level on the east side.
The larger one, I found in April outside the terminal at the Cincinnati Airport during a one hour layover.



This appears to be a decomposed nautiloid (8 inches long)



I found this on the AA Highway, at Mile Post 7 in Bracken County, Ky.
At first I did not know what it was. I have since learned that it is part of a large trilobite, Isotelus Gigantus.
Fragments of this trilobite can be found throughout the Cincinnati area.




Trilobite tracks?




Fossils of the Cincinnati Arch Formations

It is impossible to not find fossils in this area. You will find brachiopods, crinoid parts several types of corals,
gastropods, byrozoans, bivalves, nautiloids and on a good day a trilobite or two.




Flexicalymene retrorso from Mt Orab






A Prone Flexicalymene retrorso from Mt Orab


Some easy to find Localities and Roadcuts:

* Indiana Rt. 1, just north of St. Leon Indiana.
* Indiana Hwy 48 north of Aurora, Indiana.
* Highway AA for about 30 miles east from I-275, dozens of roadcuts.
* KY Hiway 9/ US 68 at the new bridge near Maysville on the Kentucky side
* The spill way at Caesar Creek State Park near Lebanon Ohio, free permit at ranger station req'd.
* The spill way at Hueson Woods State Park near Eaton Ohio.


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