Exploring World Famous Fossils Below Our Feet – Start with a Visit to the Limper Geology Museum in Oxford

OXFORD – In terms of its fossils, Southwest Ohio (including the Miami Valley) is considered one of the best places in the world to study Ordovician life—that is, life that existed about 500 million years ago, when Ohio was bathed beneath a warm, shallow ocean and brimming with coral reefs and ancient life. Today, there are a number of public places where visitors can hunt for fossils from this age, often in scenic, remote locations and parks. A full list of fossil hunting sites with descriptions and photographs can be found HERE.

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   If this all sounds interesting, the Limper Geology Museum, tucked inside Shideler Hall at Miami University, is a great place to start a new hobby. It offers a fascinating, compact experience for anyone interested in Ohio’s and Earth’s deep history and features hundreds of specimens from Ohio, as well as minerals, crystals, gemstones and meteorites from around the world. Admission is free, and the museum is open to the public during university hours, which are 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

 

   Better yet, the museum is close to several popular fossil hunting locations (mentioned in the link above), including Hueston Woods, Peffer Park and Trammel Fossil Park.

 

   Pictured here is some of what you can see at the museum and a map of the fossil parks in Ohio.