What is Tattoo Tuesday about?

May 28, 2013

Last week we took a road trip – a voyage, actually – to one of the off-shore islands in Lake Erie’s western basin. Only a little over 4 square miles, Kelley’s is still one of the largest of the Lake Erie Islands. The island was settled by Native Americans and then taken over by white settlers. Signs of Native Americans still exist, such as Inscription Rock near the ferry dock, and mounds and earthworks on the island.

Inscription Rock purportedly designed by Native Americans on Kelley’s Island

The primary industries were logging, quarrying and wine making. I will never understand the logic of living on an island (an ISLAND!), then cutting off parts of it and selling it. This is, however, what people did and are still doing on Kelley’s. The quarries are impressive. We watched a osprey float on the wind along the edge of the larger quarry stopping to stoop now and then after some kind of prey. We never saw what he was after.

Here’s a view of the quarry.

Now Kelley’s is mostly a vacation spot. In addition to boating, swimming, picnicking and pubbing, Kelley’s is a geologist’s paradise. The limestone in the quarries is full of fossils. I was after trilobites, but came up empty handed. The trilobite, Isotelus, is Ohio’s official state fossil. And I felt silly writing that.

Isotelus

We did, however, find a bunch of horn corals embedded in the limestone giving a glimpse into live at the bottom of the shallow ocean that once covered this part of Ohio.

Horn coral in limestone

Also impressive are the glacial grooves that were almost lost to the limestone industry, but are now preserved as a landmark.

Kelley’s Island Glacial Grooves

The grooves were made during the last ice age when boulders at the bottom of the glacier scoured out these grooves out of the limestone as the glacier moved over the land.

Anyway – the topic of tattoo Tuesday is Trilobites. I found this interesting article in Discover about people who are combating extinction (or at least commemorating extinct species) by getting them tattooed on their bodies.

Here are some trilobites:

Here are some trilobite tattoos:

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged animals, art, entertainment, geology, glacial grooves, horn coral, islands, isotelus, Kelley's Island, limestone, quarries, tattoo Tuesday, tattoos, travel, trilobite |

4 comments

Gosh my mom collected fossiles, i am just now getting some displayed and protected. Gee I should get a fee tattooed here and there while I’m at it. 😉
by Carol Carlisle May 31, 2013 at 2:24 pm

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- That would be fun!
  by Anne Bonney June 1, 2013 at 9:20 pm
  
  Reply
I hear that Pelee Island is swarming with trilobites, smilodons and pteranadons. Let’s get some!
by Curtis June 2, 2013 at 10:44 am

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- Goodie – let’s!
  by Anne Bonney June 3, 2013 at 11:21 am
  
  Reply