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Fossils in Michigan

While Michigan may not be as famous a fossil hunting destination as some other states, lacking many of the large dinosaurs which fire children and adults imaginations alike, the state is a good destination for those seeking marine fossils. Brachiopods, stromatolites and even fossilized whale remains have been excavated from bedrocks within the state. Much of Michigan is covered with glacial deposits, so the best locations to find fossils are the outcrops of the various formations found within the state, as well as some of the beaches of Lake Michigan.

Brachiopods
- Brachiopods are small marine creatures with hard shells, whose fossils indicate they once inhabited the inland seas which covered most of Michigan state. They have been excavated from outcrops in the region of Stonington Peninsula in Michigan's South Central Upper Peninsula. They are often found in the waters of Little Bay de Noc and the northern waters of Lake Michigan's Green Bay, where they have been washed out of the Palaeozoic limestone bedrock and cliffs of the Stonington Formation Richmond Group, which dates back to the Late Ordivician Period between 350 and 450 million years ago.
Stromatolites
- Stromatolites are mound-shaped formations that are built up by fossilized cyanobacteria. Through observation of these formations, an idea of the life processes of fossil cyanobacteria can be built up. Previously thought extinct, modern stromatolites have been found growing in Shark Bay, Australia. In Michigan, ancient stromaloties called the Kona Dolomite Formations have been found in the Kona Hills of Marquette County. These formations date as far back as 2.1 to 2.2 billion years ago.
Fossil Whales
- Fossil whale bones in Michigan were first discovered by Alexander Winchell, who excavated a fossil caudal vertebra in Western Michigan belonging to a large whale in 1861. Since then fossil whale bones have been uncovered belonging to a number of species, including sperm whales (Physeter), right whales (Balaena) and finback whales (Balaenoptera). These discoveries were important in causing geologists to revise previous theories that the region had remained above sea level for the previous 290 million years, at the end of the Pennsylvanian Period of geological history.
Petoskey Stones
- The Petoskey stone is found in the field and quarries of several northern counties in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, including Charlevoix, Emmet and Alena. It is a six-sided fossil colony coral (Hexagonaria percarinata) and is highly prized by fossil hunters. Those found in Michigan are generally smooth, worn pebbles, that have been rounded by glacial activity and wave action. Petoskey stones are primarily made up of calcite, and the stones can be found in many hand household and handcrafted items, including door knobs, carvings, worry stones and jewelry.

Fossil Collecting