Thanks to the New York State Geological Association, we’re pleased to offer a digital version of our definitive guide — Penn Dixie Fossil Park & Nature Reserve: A Window Into The Devonian Period of Western New York. The guide appears in the 89th Annual NYSGA Meeting Guidebook — print copies available here. You may download the Official Penn Dixie Field Guide for educational use only.
The guide was written by Executive Director Dr. Phil Stokes — a geologist — and Director of Education Dr. Holly Schreiber — a paleontologist — and provides a broad introduction to the history and science of Penn Dixie. Topics in the 18-page paper include:
- Geological setting of New York State in the Devonian Period
- Plate tectonics affecting the Catskill Basin and WNY
- Why many different types of fossils are found at Penn Dixie
- An overview of the main types of fossils found, including brachiopods, bryozoans, trilobites, crinoids, bivalves, gastropods, cephalopods, plants, and fish
- Images of our fossils with updated nomenclature
- A discussion of the fossil-bearing layers at Penn Dixie
- Our organization’s history, and how we ended up as Penn Dixie!