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Palaeonisciform Fossil Donated By Johnathan Baldwin

 In 2020, Johnathan Baldwin made a major breakthrough by discovering and donating an exceptionally rare, complete palaeonisciform fish fossil to the Kentucky Geological Survey (KGS).  What is a Palaeonisciform? Belonging to the extinct order Palaeonisciformes, these ancient predators were among the earliest ray finned bony fish. They ruled local waters during the Carboniferous period (roughly 300 to 350 million years ago), back when Kentucky was located near the equator and covered by a shallow, warm tropical sea.   The Palaeonisciform Fossil is a notable specimen of an extinct, primitive ray-finned fish. These fish, characterized by their ganoid scales and distinct tail shapes, thrived from the Devonian to the Cretaceous periods. The specific specimen donated by Johnathan Baldwin is currently housed in the paleontological collections of the Kentucky Geological Survey (KGS). The KGS serves as the official archive for the Commonwealth's geological and paleontology her...
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Flax Creek Meteorite

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Flax Creek Meteorite

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 In March of 2022, Johnathan Baldwin unearthed a mass weighing over a half-pound  (286.2 g) from a heap of discarded rock finds on his farm near Flax Creek and Crab  Orchard, Kentucky. Upon unearthing the specimen, Mr. Baldwin immediately suspected it to be a meteorite based on its magnetism, density, and physical appearance.  He contacted KGS on March 17, 2022.  Kentucky Geological Survey scientists used an assortment of KGS laboratory's analytical instruments to confirm the identity of this meteorite. The meteorite is the first to be found in the Commonwealth since 1990. 
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