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Fossil Hunting in Missouri

beginner friendly CrinoidsBrachiopodsBryozoansBlastoidsHorn coralsGeodes

Missouri’s Mississippian-age limestones make it one of the best places on Earth to collect crinoid fossils. The Burlington Limestone, named for nearby Burlington, Iowa, but extensively exposed across northern and central Missouri, has yielded some of the finest crinoid specimens known to science.

Why Missouri?

During the Mississippian Period, roughly 340 million years ago, Missouri was covered by a warm, shallow sea crowded with crinoids, brachiopods, and other marine life. The limestone deposited on this ancient seafloor is now exposed across wide swaths of the Ozarks and along the Mississippi River bluffs. The Burlington and Keokuk Limestones are exceptionally rich in fossils.

Missouri also sits at a geological junction where Ozark uplift has brought older Ordovician and Cambrian rocks to the surface in the center of the state, while Pennsylvanian coal measures blanket the western and northern portions.

What You’ll Find

Mississippian marine fossils (~330-350 million years old):

  • Crinoids — Missouri’s signature fossil; complete calyxes, stems, and holdfasts from dozens of species. The Burlington Limestone is world-renowned for crinoid diversity.
  • Blastoids — Small, bud-shaped echinoderms closely related to crinoids
  • Brachiopods — Spirifer, Composita, and many other genera
  • Bryozoans — Fenestrate (fan-shaped) and branching forms
  • Horn corals — Solitary rugose corals in good preservation
  • Geodes — Keokuk Limestone geodes with quartz crystals are world-famous

Pennsylvanian fossils (western and northern Missouri):

  • Plant fossils in coal measure shales
  • Marine invertebrates in cyclothem limestone beds

Ordovician fossils (central Ozarks):

  • Cephalopods, brachiopods, and gastropods in dolomite exposures

Best Time to Visit

  • Spring (March-May): Freeze-thaw loosens fresh material from road cuts and bluffs
  • Fall (September-November): Comfortable temperatures in the Ozarks; low creek levels expose bedrock
  • After rain: Weathered fossils wash out onto surfaces and creek beds

Tips for Missouri Collecting

  1. Focus on the Burlington Limestone — If you are after crinoids, this formation is unmatched; seek out road cuts and quarry exposures in the Hannibal and northeastern Missouri area
  2. Collect from weathered surfaces — Fossils that have partially weathered out of limestone are easier to extract cleanly than those fully embedded in fresh rock
  3. Bring a rock hammer and chisels — Mississippian limestone splits well along bedding planes where crinoids concentrate
  4. Combine fossil and geode collecting — The Keokuk area offers both world-class geodes and productive fossil beds in the same formation
  5. Visit the Eastern Missouri Society for Paleontology — This active club organizes field trips to productive sites throughout the region

Collecting Sites

Burlington Limestone Exposures (Hannibal Area)

Free Public Access

Hannibal, Marion County

The type locality area for the Burlington Limestone along the Mississippi River bluffs near Hannibal. Road cuts and bluff exposures yield superb crinoid calyxes, stems, and associated marine fauna. This is one of the premier crinoid collecting areas in the world.

CrinoidsBrachiopodsBryozoansBlastoids

Joplin Area Mines and Road Cuts

Free Public Access

Joplin, Jasper County

Road cuts and old mine dumps in the Tri-State Mining District expose Mississippian limestones. While the area is best known for lead and zinc mining, the limestone host rock contains abundant marine invertebrates.

Crinoid stemsBrachiopodsBryozoansHorn corals

Waynesville Area Road Cuts

Free Public Access

Waynesville, Pulaski County

Road cuts along I-44 through the Ozarks expose Mississippian and Ordovician carbonates. Weathered limestone surfaces reveal crinoid columnals, brachiopods, and other marine invertebrates.

Crinoid stemsBrachiopodsBryozoansGastropods

Keokuk Geode Beds (Alexandria Area)

Free Public Access

Clark County

The world-famous Keokuk geode beds straddle the Missouri-Iowa border. In addition to spectacular quartz geodes weathering out of the Keokuk Limestone, the surrounding strata yield Mississippian marine invertebrates.

GeodesCrinoid stemsBrachiopodsBryozoans

Legal Rules for Missouri

Missouri allows surface collecting of fossils on public land and along road cuts. State parks have varying rules -- check with individual parks before collecting. Mark Twain National Forest lands are generally open to casual surface collecting of reasonable quantities for personal use. Quarry collecting requires permission from operators. Always obtain landowner permission for private property.

Read our full legal guide for federal laws and more details.

Key Geological Formations

  • Burlington Limestone (Lower Mississippian)
  • Keokuk Limestone (Lower Mississippian)
  • Pennsylvanian coal measures
  • Ordovician dolomites

Local Fossil Clubs & Museums