Resources

The fossils of the Mazon Creek deposits have been studied for about 150 years. Hundreds of scientific papers have discussed the deposits or their fossils in that time. Most textbooks on historical geology, paleontology, or evolution have some discussion of Mazon Creek. The following list includes a few comprehensive treatments and also includes publications of the Illinois State Museum on Mazon Creek fossils.

Earth Science Club of Northern Illinois 1990, Keys to Identify Pennsylvanian Fossil Plants of the Mazon Creek Area (revised edition). Downers Grove, Ill. (P.O. Box 321, Downers Grove 60515): Earth Science Club of Northern Illinois, 60pp.

Hay, A. 1989, Keys to Identify Pennsylvanian Fossil Animals of the Mazon Creek Area. Downers Grove, Ill. (P.O. Box 321, Downers Grove 60515): Earth Science Club of Northern Illinois, 125pp.

J.R. Jennings 1990, Guide to Pennsylvanian Fossil Plants of Illinois. Illinois State Geological Survey, Educational Series, 13: 1-75.

G. Langford 1958, The Wilmington Coal Flora From a Pennsylvanian Deposit in Will County, Illinois, Downers Grove, IL: Esconi Associates, 366pp.

G. Langford 1963, The Wilmington Coal Fauna and Additions to the Wilmington Coal Flora From a Pennsylvanian Deposit in Will County, Illinois, Downers Grove, IL: Esconi Associates, 280pp.

M.H. Nitecki (editor) 1979, Mazon Creek Fossils, New York: Academic Press, 581pp. ISBN 0-12-519650-4

C.W. Shabica and A.A. Hay (editors) 1997, The Fossil Fauna of Mazon Creek, Chicago: Northeastern Illinois University, 308pp. ISBN 0-925065-21-8

Illinois State Museum Publications

F.M. Carpenter, A. Petrunkevitch, P.E. Raymond, and E.N. Kjellesvig-Waering 1943, 1945, 1946, 1948, Coal Age fossils from Mazon Creek. Illinois State Museum, Scientific Papers, III (collected into facsimile edition, 1979).

R.E. Janssen 1940, Some fossil plant types of Illinois. Illinois State Museum, Scientific Papers, I: 124pp.

R.E. Janssen 1939, Leaves and stems from fossil forests. Illinois State Museum, Popular Science, I: 190pp (revised 1979).

R.L. Leary 1976, Inventory of type and figured paleobotanical specimens in the Illinois State Museum. Illinois State Museum, Inventory of Collections, 2 (part 2): 1-64.

R.L. Leary 1971, Catalog of Paleozoic paleozoological type and figured specimens at the Illinois State Museum. Illinois State Museum, Inventory of Collections, 2 (part 1).