Field Trip to the Cincinnati Museum Center, Geier Collections Center By Michael Popp

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1 Field Trip to the Cincinnati Museum Center, Geier Collections Center By Michael Popp Ten KYANA members traveled to Cincinnati for a behind the scenes look at the fossil collection of Cincinnati Museum Center Geier Collections and Research Center. Dr. Brenda Hanke gave us an early morning tour of the main storage area. Our group waited in a large meeting room that had samplings of historical and natural items in its display cases. She started by giving us an overview of the museum and the collection/research center. The building contains about 3,000,000 objects that complement the museum. The 70,000 square foot building is an old brewing company office building that was retrofitted in She made us aware that not many museums have their own specially designed collection areas as this one does. The storage areas have temperature, humidity, and lighting set for the type of items kept there. The Cincinnati museum is made up of three sections: history, natural history, and children which all house their items at the center. They have an excellent archeology collection as well as an extensive set of zoology items. The invertebrate fossil collection is one of the largest in the center. The Center has three missions: 1) support the items on display at the museum available to the public, 2) collect and preserve specimens for today to perpetuity, and 3) perform or promote scientific research on the items in the collections. Dr. Hanke brought to our attention that a lot of the public does not know of the existence of Grier Collection Center and they are trying to publicize their mission by tours like ours. There are 7 full time staff but they have over 100 volunteers a day that help maintain the massive collection. After a short question and answer time, we traveled to a lower floor to see the fossil storage area.

2 The room where the fossils are stored was large and clean. It was filled with row after row of metal storage cabinets; some of the room's outer perimeter is fitted with shelves and desks/equipment for fossil preparation and study. Two KYANA members brought items to be donated to the museum's collection. Dan Phelps, president of Kentucky Paleontological Society (KPS) and KYANA member, donated a large number of fossils including the picture shown here of a crinoid calyx. He spent part of the tour data entering into a center computer what and where it was from for all his specimens. KYANA board member Bill Beasy donated a fossilized piece of Eurypterid (sea scorpion)called Megalograptus ohioensis found near Lagrange, Kentucky. He presented a 1984 letter showing its identification from Dr. Kenneth Caster of University of Cincinnati. Brenda explained the special features of the room and storage cabinets that help preserve the fossils stored there. The storage area contains about 500,000 fossils. The most popular queries about fossils are dinosaurs followed by trilobites. Some cabinets are more important because they contain the holotype fossils (the original fossils used to describe a species). She also pointed out every natural history museum needs dinosaurs to attract visitors and they get most of theirs from Montana. We were shown a number of special fossils. The first was the special collection with Megalograptus fossils. We then looked at Burgess shale fossils from Canada. Next we visited the cabinets of bryozoans and trilobites. Fish fossils were next on the tour with a Devonian arthrodire Dunkleosteus (like one shown on cover of Fossils of Ohio book) and Devonian shark Cladoselache. A popular fossil with our group was a Mississippian Period lobed-finned fish fossil (rhizodont) from Hancock County, Kentucky.

3 After that a case was opened of what appeared to be the complete Ichthyosaur fish lizard fossil from Germany. These were not considered dinosaurs but marine reptiles from the Jurassic Period. We moved to the dinosaur area and saw specimens from Montana including a skin imprint on stone. Last we viewed the Mastodon remains (teeth, leg, and lower jaw). We were then allowed some time to view fossils in the unlocked drawers on our own with the stipulation of not touching anything. The biggest surprise for me was to find an intact blastoid (stem, theca (rosebud shape normally found, and brachioles (feeding arms)). I tried to get the best picture I could with the lighting conditions.

4 Last, the fossil department had a painting of an Ordovician sea scene created (used on the recent book cover of A Sea Without Fish) and they then had posters and mugs made using it. They are $10 each and the proceeds are used to help fund the fossil department. They can be found at the museum gift shop. The members of our tour were generous and bought at least $100 worth of items. We thanked Brenda for spending her Saturday morning with us and then exited into a rainy parking lot. Four members ended up going to collect Ordovician fossils on a rainy and muddy road cut on the way back after eating lunch. Exploring a Kope Formation site these fossils were found crinoids, gastropods (Clathrospira, Cyclonema, Crytolites, & Sinuites), bryozoans, brachiopods (Rafinesquina, Sowerbyella, & Dalmanella), trilobite fragments (Flexicalymene & Cryptolithus), cephalopods, & pelecypods (Ambonychia).

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