Recommended Further Reading

Below is the non-paywall list. Click here for the full PDF list (with paywall sites)

Systematic Paleontology, Biostratigraphy, & Geochemistry

The park’s exposure of the Middle Devonian (Givetian) Hamilton Group—specifically the Windom Shale Member (Moscow Formation) bounded below by the Tichenor Limestone and above by the Leicester Pyrite, North Evans Limestone, and Genundewa Limestone—is documented across numerous paleontological studies:

• Brett, C. E. (1974). “Biostratigraphy and paleoecology of the Windom Shale Member (Moscow Formation) in Erie County, New York.” New York State Geological Association Guidebook, 46, G1–G15.
  • Significance: Establishes the benthic faunal horizons and taphonomy of the Windom Shale at the quarry before the site’s formal transition into an educational park.
• Brett, C. E., & Baird, G. C. (1982). “Upper Moscow-Genesee Stratigraphic Relations in Western New York: Evidence for Regional Erosive Beleveling in the Late Middle Devonian.” New York State Geological Association Guidebook, 54, 217–245.
  • Significance: Outlines the fourteen detailed biostratigraphic subdivisions of the Windom Shale Member, using the Penn Dixie quarry exposure as a key reference section for the Bayview coral bed and Smoke Creek trilobite bed.
• Brett, C. E., & Baird, G. C. (1990). “Submarine erosion and condensation in a foreland basin: Examples from the Devonian of Erie County, New York.” In G. G. Lash (Ed.), New York State Geological Association 62nd Annual Meeting field trip guidebook (pp. A1–A56). New York State Geological Association.
  • Significance: Brett and Baird (1990) established the essential geological framework for Western New York’s Middle to Upper Devonian strata, directly defining the rock layers exposed at Penn Dixie. By explaining how submarine erosion and sediment starvation created fossil-rich condensed beds—such as the North Evans Limestone atop the Windom Shale—the study provides the key context for understanding Penn Dixie’s depositional history and exceptional fossil preservation.
• Brett, C. E., & Baird, G. C. (1997).Paleoenvironmental Fine Structure in a Middle Devonian Basin: Stratigraphy and Lithofacies of the Hamilton Group in Central and Western New York. Geological Society of America Special Papers, 321, 1–56.
  • Significance: Examines fine-scale storm deposits (tempestites), obrution (sudden burial) events, and oxygenation levels represented in the shale layers exposed at Penn Dixie.
• Brett, C. E., Zaffos, A., Baird, G. C., & Bartholomew, A. J. (2013).Fossil beds, facies gradients and seafloor dynamics in the Middle Devonian Moscow Formation, Western New York. In Field Trip Guidebook: New York State Geological Association 85th Annual Meeting (pp. 68–108). New York State Geological Association.
  • Significance: This guidebook chapter refines the high-resolution stratigraphic framework for the Moscow Formation exposed at Penn Dixie. It details how seafloor dynamics, storm events, and oxygen levels created the site’s densely packed fossil beds and exceptional trilobite preservation.
• Goldman, D., & Mitchell, C. E. (1990). “Morphology, systematics, and evolution of Middle Devonian Ambocoeliidae (Brachiopoda), western New York.” Journal of Paleontology, 64(1), 79–99.
  • Significance: Examines the morphometrics, evolutionary relationships, and paedomorphosis of ambocoeliid brachiopods, utilizing hundreds of specimens collected from calcareous beds within the upper Windom Shale exposed at the Penn Dixie quarry.

Formal Guidebooks & Proceedings (New York State Geological Association)

Field guidebooks published through the New York State Geological Association (NYSGA) and the Subcommission on Devonian Stratigraphy (SDS) serve as primary academic records of the site’s stratigraphy, history, and development:

• Agle, P. A. (2021). Eighteen mile creek: South branch to lakeshore; Middle to upper devonian shales. In G. S. Solar & D. W. Valentino (Eds.), 92nd Annual New York State Geological Association Field Conference Guidebook (Trip A2). New York State Geological Association. https://ottohmuller.com/nysga2ge/Files/2021/2021%20A2%20%20Eighteen%20Mile%20Creek%20-%20South%20Branch%20To%20Lakeshore%20-%20Middle%20To%20Upper%20Devonian%20Shales.pdf
  • Significance: Agle’s (2021) field guidebook provides vital regional context for Penn Dixie Fossil Park and Nature Reserve by mapping the Middle to Upper Devonian stratigraphy along nearby Eighteen Mile Creek. By detailing continuous exposures of the Hamilton Group—including the Wanakah and Windom Shales—this resource allows Penn Dixie educators and researchers to directly correlate the park’s inland quarry beds with the broader depositional basin and strengthen their programming on ancient marine ecosystems.
• Bastedo, J. C. (1999).“Penn Dixie Paleontological and Outdoor Education Center: Visit to a Classic Geological and Outdoor Education Center.” New York State Geological Association 71st Annual Meeting Guidebook, Fredonia, NY, A1–A18.
  • Significance: Jerold C. Bastedo’s 1999 publication in the New York State Geological Association Guidebook introduced the newly established Penn Dixie Paleontological and Outdoor Education Center to the regional scientific community shortly after its acquisition by the Hamburg Natural History Society in 1996. Unlike his later 2006 and 2013 papers that detailed an established, nationally recognized park, this earlier guide highlights the site’s initial transition from an abandoned cement company quarry into a functioning outdoor classroom. It outlines the initial 1990 citizen preservation campaign, documents the core Middle Devonian stratigraphy—focusing on the 42-foot exposure of Windom Shale and its 380-million-year-old marine fossils—and captures the origins of its early public programming, including its first astronomy and birding events.
• Bastedo, J. C. (2006).“Penn Dixie Site: A Classic and Unique Geological and Outdoor Education Resource.” New York State Geological Association 78th Annual Meeting Guidebook, 145–160.
  • Significance: Jerold C. Bastedo’s 2006 publication in the New York State Geological Association Guidebook provides an earlier, foundational look at Penn Dixie, detailing its Middle Devonian stratigraphy—most notably the fossil-rich Windom Shale—and the community efforts that transformed the former quarry into an outdoor educational site. Unlike his expanded 2013 paper that celebrated the park’s national ranking and broader environmental programming, the 2006 guide focuses strictly on establishing the core geological significance of the site’s 380-million-year-old marine fossils and setting up its initial infrastructure as an accessible field destination for students, researchers, and amateur collectors.
• Bastedo, J. C. (2013). “The Penn Dixie Paleontological and Outdoor Education Center: An Internationally Renown Multidiscipline Educational, Cultural, Recreational and Tourist Attraction.” New York State Geological Association 85th Annual Meeting Guidebook, Fredonia, NY, 54–67.
  • Significance: Jerold C. Bastedo’s 2013 publication in the New York State Geological Association Guidebook serves as a definitive historical and scientific guide for the Penn Dixie Fossil Park, documenting its transformation from a former shale quarry into the top-ranked public fossil park in the United States. Beyond chronicling the community-led effort to preserve the site, the paper details the park’s 380-million-year-old Middle Devonian rock strata and marine fossils—such as trilobites and brachiopods—while validating its unique educational model of allowing visitors to directly excavate and keep their geological finds.
• Brett, C. E., Brunton, F. R., et al. (2023).“Upper Ordovician–Middle Devonian & Pleistocene Geological History of the Niagara Frontier.” International Subcommission on Devonian Stratigraphy (SDS) Field Trip Guidebook, Field Trip 2, 127–134.
  • Significance: Details the Hamilton Group section at Penn Dixie as an essential field stop for international researchers visiting the classic Devonian sequence of the northern Appalachian Basin.
• Stokes, P. J., & Schreiber, H. A. (2017). “Geology and History of Penn Dixie Fossil Park and Nature Reserve.” New York State Geological Association 89th Annual Meeting Guidebook, Alfred, NY, 18 pp.
  • Significance: Comprehensive review of the site’s tectonic setting, updated Devonian taxonomic nomenclature, stratigraphy from the Wanakah Shale through the Genundewa Limestone, and the institutional history of the Hamburg Natural History Society.

Videos

WNY’s Devonian Past | Compact Science | Season 2 | Episode 2 |  Apr 25, 2024 |  11:03 minutes

Exploring Penn Dixie Fossil Park in Blasdell, NY, we’ll learn about the geologic history of Western New York.

https://www.pbs.org/video/wnys-devonian-past-compact-science-4bpvkq

Introduction to Penn Dixie Fossil Park & Nature Reserve

Fossil Hunting and Collecting with Chris

Field Trip for a Bucket List (Joseph “Paleo Joe” Kchodl)

Penn Dixie Commercial 2007

Breaking News: Giant Trilobite Invasion!

Splitting Smoke Creek Trilobite Shale with James and Jonathan

Misc.

Maurer, L. (2024, December 6). Mapping Penn Dixie Fossil Park. ArcGIS StoryMaps. https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/d99a524ab301461fb3251a8a177c629b

Discovery of Devonian Carpoids (Lazarus Taxon) at Penn Dixie Fossil Park. By Dr. Phil Stokes, Executive Director

• Significance: In 2023, rare fossil carpoids (extinct stem-group echinoderms) were discovered at the park. Ongoing study led by Dr. Carlton Brett identified these specimens as a Lazarus taxon, extending the known geological range of this echinoderm family by approximately 20 million years.