In the process of building the dam at Caesar Creek Lake, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers created an emergency spillway to act as an overflow for the lake and inadvertently exposed bedrock bearing fossils of ancient sea creatures over 438 million years old. Many of these remains are lying on the surface such as brachiopods, which look like sea shells, and bryozoa, which look like coral. The most difficult fossils to find are horn coral, cephalopods, and Ohio’s state fossil: the trilobite.
NOTE: Fossils may be observed in the spillway at any time, but if you would like to collect fossils, you must first acquire a free permit at the Visitors Center.
More information: www.lrl.usace.army.mil/Missions/Civil-Works/Recreation/Lakes/Caesar-Creek-Lake/Fossil-Collecting/