Natural Science Forum / Biology / Paleontology / August 2004

If you can find a copy, try "Handbook of Oregon Plant and Naimal
Fossils" by William and Elizabeth Orr. ISBN 0-9606502-0-2.  You can
also try Google, searching on "John Day Fossils".  Or talk to the
reference section librarian at your local library.

If the fossils are vertebrates, you will have a hard time finding an
amateur book that will help you key-out the fossils.

Invertebrate fossils:  Try Simon and Shuster's guide to fossils.

Plants:  Any identification guidebook on modern plants and trees will
work. (The John Day is Eocene, so most modern plant families were
established by that time).

The *easiest* way would be to take your fossils to a public natural
science museum and ask to have them identified.  The staff may ask you
to donate any scientifically significant specimens to their museum,
and they will be happy to identify the remainder of the specimens and
return them to you.

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Correction from my earlier post:  The John Day is early Miocene, not
Eocene.

If you have fossil plants, check out this web page.  It may help you
narrow down the possibilities:

http://www.nps.gov/joda/floraslist.htm

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Correction from my earlier post:  The John Day is early Miocene, not
Eocene.

If you have fossil plants, check out this web page.  It may help you
narrow down the possibilities:

http://www.nps.gov/joda/floraslist.htm

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