geology – Penn Dixie Fossil Park & Nature Reserve

Science Talk Doubleheader

June 1, 2021August 29, 2021Penn Dixie

Monday August 23, 7 pm

Get ready for Dig With The Experts with two science talks on one night!

First, Executive Director Dr. Phil Stokes presents Britain to Buffalo: The Fossil Connection. His talk will provide an overview of the local rocks and Devonian Period marine fossils found at Penn Dixie. For context, he will discuss the history of geology, Mary Anning, William ‘Strata’ Smith, and their stories connect to the rocks and fossils found in Western New York.

Our second and keynote speaker is Paleontologist Joe ‘PaleoJoe’ Kchodl of Midland, Michigan. PaleoJoe’s talk, Trilobites: Arthropods of the Ancient Seas, will highlight Penn Dixie’s famous fossil — the trilobite — and its cousins from around the world. Learn about the life and death of trilobites and how the Cambrian period became known as the Age of Trilobites.

This is a FREE virtual program thanks to the support of Erie County and the Town of Hamburg. Register here by 6:30 pm on the day of the talk to receive a Zoom invitation. Space is limited to the first 100 participants.

The History of the Niagara Gorge

May 14, 2020May 28, 2020Penn Dixie

Wednesday May 27, 7 pm – Virtual Presentation

By Catherine Konieczny, School Programs Manager, Buffalo Museum of Science

Niagara Falls is one of the most recognizable waterfalls in the world, it also happens to be in our backyard. Learn what makes this geological wonder so dynamic.

Explore the historical and cultural significance of the oldest state park in America and how it impacts us today. Journey down through time to discover how Niagara Falls got its shape, how it’s still changing today, and what secrets lay beneath.

Key topics:

-Historical significance: Native Americans and early development

-Geomorphology: The last ice age, weathering and erosion

-Geology: Stratigraphic column and fossils

-Human mitigation: Hydropower and Dewatering the Falls

To participate you’ll need to Register Here and download Zoom. We’ll email a link to the talk shortly before 7 pm.

Official Penn Dixie Field Guide

February 13, 2018May 2, 2023Penn Dixie

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 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!

Earth Science Day 2016

February 2, 2017Penn Dixie

While Penn Dixie may be covered in ice and snow, we can always think ahead to the coming spring and summer months when the site will be visited by fossil collectors of all ages and experience levels. This spring, we’ve got Earth Day on April 22 and Dig with the Experts scheduled for Memorial Day weekend, plus many school field trips. In the summer we’ll host a full array of science and nature programs, but fall will be a really special time when we host our 20th Annual WNY Earth Science Day on Saturday October 7. To get in the sprit, take a look back at Earth Science Day 2016 — Saturday October 8 — with some photos courtesy of superstar volunteer Jake Burkett and his family.

Despite the chilly and wet morning, exhibitors and visitors who chatted under the big tent stayed mostly warm and dry.

The drill rig demonstration got a bit muddier than usual.

UB Geology might have brought the messiest activity: goupy glaciers that flowed through 3D models.

By late morning the skies cleared and our fossil collecting was in full swing.

These folks came down from Ontario and were very eager to find the perfect trilobite.

At just the right time, LLoyd Taco Truck arrived and satisfied the hungry lunch crowd — even T-rex.

For the full gallery visit the Google Drive gallery — thanks Burketts! We are grateful for the following organizations that made Earth Science Day possible:

3rd Rock LLC
Aquarium of Niagara
Animal Advocates of WNY
Buffalo Association of Professional Geologists
Buffalo Geological Society
Buffalo Museum of Science
Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper
Canisius College Seismographic Station
Cradle Beach
Earth Dimensions, Inc.
Ecology & Environment, Inc.
Erie County Department of Environment and Planning
Evangola State Park
Lloyd Taco Trucks
Past & Present Rock Shop
Penn Dixie Site
Reinstein Woods/NYS DEC
SJB/Empire Geo Services, Inc.
StratResources Geologic Consulting, LLC
SUNY Brockport Earth Science and Meteorology Club
SUNY Buffalo Undergraduate & Graduate Geology Clubs
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers — Buffalo