Ward's Scientific Microfossil Collection

When I retired I cleaned out my classroom and found a collection of 25 glass vials from Ward Scientific containing sand samples with microfossils. I didn't even remember buying them! I immediately thought they would make a perfect addition to the sand website. The only problem was there were no labels for the samples, only identification numbers. I posted to several lists asking if anyone had the collection with the names. Several people from Wards responded, and within 24 hours I had a pdf of the list! Thank you Wards! Click here for a great description of collecting microfossils.

This page has a link from Harvard University's Encyclopedia of Life Project on the Fossil Finds Page!

This page was recognized by December 2010's NSTA Reports.

IMAGE THUMBNAIL	FORMATION	LOCATION	GEOLOGIC PERIOD/EPOCH	MICROFOSSILS
	Lomita Marl	San Pedro, California	Quaternary Pleistocene Epoch	Mollusk Shells
	San Pedro Formation	San Pedro, California	Quaternary Pleistocene Epoch	Mollusk Shells
	Talbot Formation	Walles Bluff, Maryland	Quaternary Pleistocene Epoch	Mollusk Shells
	Diatomaceous Earth	Santa Barbara County	Unknown	Diatoms
	Tripoli Beach Sand	Tripoli, Libya	Quaternary Pleistocene Epoch	Foraminifera
	Caloosahatchee Marl	Southern Florida	Tertiary Pliocene Epoch	Mollusk Shells
	Jackson Bluff	Tallahassee, Florida	Tertiary Miocene Epoch	Mollusk Shells
	Yorktown Formation	Hampton, Virginia	Tertiary Miocene Epoch	Mollusk Shells
	Chickasawhay Marl	St. Stephens, Alabama	Tertiary Oligocene Epoch	Echinoderm Fragments
	Branch Marl	Jackson, Mississippi	Tertiary Eocene Epoch	Foraminifera
	Branch Marl	Copenhagen, Louisiana	Tertiary Eocene Epoch	Bryozoa
	Giza Limestone ¹	Giza, Egypt	Tertiary Eocene Epoch	Nummelites pyramid
	Castle Hayne	Castle Hayne, North Carolina	Tertiary Eocene Epoch	Bryozoa
	Weches Formation	Chireno, Texas	Tertiary Eocene Epoch	Mollusk Shell Fragments(?)
	Vincentown Sand	Rancocas River, New Jersey	Tertiary Eocene Epoch	Bryozoa
	Yazoo Formation	Clairborne, Alabama	Tertiary Eocene Epoch	Mollusk Shell Fragments(?)
	Brightseat	Brightseat, Maryland	Tertiary Paleocene Epoch	Mollusk Shell Fragments(?)
	Lopez de Bertodano²	Seymour Island, Antarctica	Tertiary Paleocene Epoch	Echinoderm Fragments
	Selma Chalk	Selma, Alabama	Cretaceous	Foraminifera
	Cisco Group	Stephens County, Texas	Pennsylvanian	Crinoids
	Graford Formation	Wise County, Texas	Pennsylvanian	Sponges
	New Providence	Bullitt County, Kentucky	Mississippian	Echinoderm Fragments
	?⁴	Metcalfe County, Kentucky	Mississippian(?)	Echinoderm Fragments
	Salem Limestone	Harrodsbay, Indiana	Mississippian	Foraminifera
	Genundewah Limestone	Erie County, New York	Devonian	Conodonts
	Rochester Shale	Rochester, New York	Silurian	Echinoderm Fragments
	?³	Bellbrook, Ohio	Silurian(?) or older	Bryozoa

¹The Giza Limestone sand sample did not come from the Ward's collection. It was found at Giza by an individual and sent to me.

²The Lopez de Bertodano sand sample did not come from the Ward's collection. It was on loan from the United States Polar Rock Repository at Ohio State University.

³The Bellbrook sample did not come from the Ward's collection. The sample was contributed by a geology student from University of Dayton, Dayton, Ohio. Since the sample was collected from a creek and not an actual outcrop, it is impossible to name the formation. Since the fossils are so fragmented, it is impossible for me to accurately identify or date them.

⁴The Metcalfe County sample did not come from the Ward's collection.

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