Fossil Collecting in the Mahantago Formation

The Mahantango Formation of the Devonian Period (approximately 375 million years ago) is well-represented in the rocks throughout the Mid-Atlantic region. Numerous road cuts and borrow pits present the dedicated fossil collector with the opportunity to collect quite a variety of marine invertebrate fossils from this ancient time! Tim Kent, along with his wife Laurie, has avidly spent over 30 years collecting fossils throughout the Mid-Atlantic Region. In this presentation, Tim describes the Mahantango formation and its fossils and explains where to look for them. Tim also displays many of the actual fossils that he and Laurie have collected. Recently retired from Baltimore County Public Schools, Tim Kent has a Master of Science Education degree from Loyola University and was an elementary Science educator for 34 years. For the last 17 years of his career, Tim served in the BCPS Office of Science as a STARLAB Portable Planetarium Resource Teacher and was known as “Captain Tim” to elementary students throughout the county as he took his portable planetarium from school-to-school teaching astronomy concepts inside the dome.

Natural History Society of Maryland’s Fossil Club is a group of novice and more experienced collectors who meet to exchange knowledge and help with fossil identification, fossil locations, and other fossil related topics. Monthly meetings are held the first Wednesday of every month. Club meetings are open to all, although non-members are asked to donate $5 if they can.

If you are a fossil enthusiast, please consider joining (https://www.marylandnature.org/club-membership/). NHSM membership is $35 for individuals, $50 for families. The Natural History Society of Maryland is a volunteer-led non-profit organization, so the fee you pay will go directly to support the programs, the nature collections, and the building that make this kind of nature education possible.

Learn more about NHSM Clubs: https://youtu.be/pIA7naRjXws