Seven Stars Fossil Site

A paleomap reconstruction of the Northeast region during the Givetian Stage of the Middle Devonianm, with the location of Seven Stars marked with a pindrop. Bringing Fossils to Life 2024, All Rights Reserved.

Seven Stars Fossil Site is an abandoned quarry in Seven Stars, Juniata County, PA. It is an outcrop of the Sherman Ridge Member Mahantango Formation, part of the larger Hamilton Group. Previously a quarry used to mine rocks for driveways and build projects, it spans the earlier parts of the Givetian Stage of the Devonian Period, about 387 – 385 MA. It was home to at least 42 known organisms. All but a couple would soon become extinct in the Taghanic Crisis, which is apparent in the overlying Tully Formation.

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Make sure you read up on safety tips and the many fossils that can be found at this fossil site!

Safety Tips & What to Bring

Guide to The Fossils of Seven Stars

Geological Background

Click on the species below to learn more about them and their relatives!

Actinodesma erectum

Actinodesma was a very large bivalve that is common at Seven Stars.

Agoniatites vanuxemi

Agoniatites was a very rare ammonoid at Seven Stars.

Animalia indet.

An unidentified, serrated mouthpart has been found at Seven Stars, lacking symmetry and any of the characteristics of every other organism identified from the site thus far.

Ancyrocrinus bulbosus

Ancyrocrinus was a rare crinoid with a short stem and an anchor-like holdfast.

Archaeopteris spp.

Archaeopteris was a large, early, tree-like plant. Its branches can be found at Seven Stars.

Atactotoechus furcatus

Atactotoechus was a branching bryozoan uncommon at Seven Stars.

Bactrites aciculum

Bactrites was a straight-shelled cephalopod that lived at Seven Stars.

Bembexia sp.

Bembexia was a gastropod that can be found at Seven Stars.

Bothriolepis sp.

A fin spine and posterior ventro-lateral bone from an unidentified Bothriolepidid fish and some other possible remains have been found at Seven Stars; this placoderm was likely a resident.

Botryocrinus bellensis

Botryocrinus was a crinoid with a long stem and root-like holdfast that can be found at Seven Stars.

Conodonta indet.

The tiny teeth of unidentified conodonts, eel-like Chordates, are common at Seven Stars.

Crinoidea indet.

Many unidentified genera of Crinoids are common at Seven Stars.

Cyclonema sp.

Cyclonema was a common gastropod with characteristc shell ornamentation from Seven Stars.

Cyrtonella mitella

Cyrtonella was a monoplacophoran that is sometimes found at Seven stars.

Devonochonetes coronatus Devonochonetes was a brachiopod common at Seven Stars.

Dipleura dekayi

Dipleura was a very large, common trilobite from Seven Stars.

Eldredgeops crassituberculata

Eldredgeops is an exceedingly rare trilobite from Seven Stars.

Eunicida indet.

Burrows of jawed Polychaete worms are not hard to find at Seven Stars.

Goniophora hemiltonensis Goniophora was a very large bivalve that was common at Seven Stars.

Grammysia bisculcata

Grammysia was a rare bivalve at Seven Stars and can be confused with Grammysioidea.

Grammysioidea alveata

Grammysioidea was a large, common bivalve at Seven Stars.

Greenops boothi

Greenops boothi rare trilobite that can easily be confused with G. grabaui.

Greenops grabaui

Greenops grabaui was a rare trilobite that can easily be confused with G. boothi.

Hallotheca aclis

Hallotheca is a small hyolithid that is common at Seven Stars.

Michelinoceras telamon

Michelinoceras was a small to large cephalopod that was uncommon at Seven Stars.

Modiomorpha concentrica Modiomorpha was a bivalve that is uncommon to rare at Seven Stars.

Mucrospirifer mucronatus Mucrospirifer was a very common brachiopod at Seven Stars.

Nuculoidea oblongatus

Nuculoidea oblongatus was a bivalve common at Seven Stars.

Nuculoidea triqueter

Nuculoidea triqueter was a bivalve uncommon at Seven Stars.

Orbiculoidea truncata

Orbiculoidea was a brachiopod that was very rare at Seven Stars.

Orthonota undulata

Orthonota was a very common bivalve from Seven Stars.

Paleozygopleura hamiltoniae Paleozygopleura was a rare gastropod a Seven Stars.

Plantae indet. Plant fossils of uncertain identification are sometimes found at Seven Stars.

Pleurodictyum americanum Pleurodictyum was an common coral at Seven Stars.

Ptomatis patulus

Ptomatis was a large, common gastropod that can be found at Seven Stars.

Reptaria stolonifera

Reptaria was an encrusting Hederelloid sometimes found on Cephalopod shells.

Rhipidomella penelope

Rhipidomella was a brachiopod that was common at Seven Stars.

Spinocyrtia granulosa

Spinocyrtia was a common brachiopod at Seven Stars.

Stereolasma rectum

Stereolasma was a very rare rugose coral that can be found at Seven Stars.

Striacoceras typum

Striacoceras was a rare, potentially very large cephalopod from Seven Stars.

Strophodonta demissa

Strophodonta was a common brachiopod found at Seven Stars.

Tentaculites bellulus

Tentaculites was an uncommon lophophorate, related brachiopods and bryozoans, found at Seven Stars.

Tornoceras uniangulare

Tornoceras was a rare ammonoid at Seven Stars.