Sigma Xi Poster Competition
Academic Level at Time of Presentation
Senior
Major
Geology, Earth and Environmental Science
List all Project Mentors & Advisor(s)
Katharine Loughney
Presentation Format
Poster Presentation
Abstract/Description
About 380 to 320 million years ago, the entire state of Kentucky was submerged under water in the period known as the Mississippian. During this time, many creatures evolved and lived in the shallow ocean that lay across the state. These creatures include extinct arthropods called trilobites, mollusk-like creatures known as brachiopods, lily-like seastar relatives known as crinoids, and many others that were fossilized during this period. The fossil record of Kentucky contains many of these creatures, but the fossil record of western Kentucky has been studied less than other areas of the state. For this research project, I am using acetate peels to identify fossils within limestone samples I have collected. I collected rock samples from two limestone outcrops of the Warsaw and St. Louis limestone near Murray, which contain a large amount of fossils from when Kentucky was a shallow sea. The Warsaw Limestone is a coarse-grained limestone that formed in the middle Mississippian Period (about 350 million years ago), and the St. Louis Limestone is a fine-grained limestone that formed in the late Mississippian Period (about 320 million years ago). To make acetate peels, the limestone samples have to be cut and polished, then a thin piece of acetate is laid on the polished face, which is etched onto the peel with acid. The peels can then be examined under a microscope to identify the fossils. I will continue to work on this project through the end of the semester, and I will compile my findings into a final report. I hope that in doing so, future researchers and students can use that document as a possible reference on the region's fossil history.
Spring Scholars Week 2025
Sigma Xi Poster Competition
Warsaw and St. Louis Limestone Fossils Near Murray Kentucky
About 380 to 320 million years ago, the entire state of Kentucky was submerged under water in the period known as the Mississippian. During this time, many creatures evolved and lived in the shallow ocean that lay across the state. These creatures include extinct arthropods called trilobites, mollusk-like creatures known as brachiopods, lily-like seastar relatives known as crinoids, and many others that were fossilized during this period. The fossil record of Kentucky contains many of these creatures, but the fossil record of western Kentucky has been studied less than other areas of the state. For this research project, I am using acetate peels to identify fossils within limestone samples I have collected. I collected rock samples from two limestone outcrops of the Warsaw and St. Louis limestone near Murray, which contain a large amount of fossils from when Kentucky was a shallow sea. The Warsaw Limestone is a coarse-grained limestone that formed in the middle Mississippian Period (about 350 million years ago), and the St. Louis Limestone is a fine-grained limestone that formed in the late Mississippian Period (about 320 million years ago). To make acetate peels, the limestone samples have to be cut and polished, then a thin piece of acetate is laid on the polished face, which is etched onto the peel with acid. The peels can then be examined under a microscope to identify the fossils. I will continue to work on this project through the end of the semester, and I will compile my findings into a final report. I hope that in doing so, future researchers and students can use that document as a possible reference on the region's fossil history.