Locality · Private (Reading Anthracite): permission required
St. Clair fern beds
Schuylkill, Pennsylvania, United States
The St. Clair fern beds near Pottsville, Pennsylvania, produce the striking white-on-black fern fossils, Pennsylvanian foliage replaced by pyrophyllite on black shale of the Llewellyn Formation, that are among the most decorative plant fossils in trade. The site is private coal-company land and access has been intermittent, so most St. Clair ferns come from older collections and club trips. Genuine pieces are white or cream on black; painted 'enhancement' exists.
| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| State / province | Pennsylvania |
| County | Schuylkill |
| Land manager / status | Reading Anthracite Company (private) |
| Access | Access is by permission or club field trips; the site has been closed and reopened several times |
| What is found | Pecopteris, Alethopteris, Neuropteris, Annularia, Sphenophyllum |
Rules
The fern beds are on private coal-company land; collecting without written permission is trespass. Clubs such as the Delaware Valley Paleontological Society arrange access. Hand tools only.
Source: https://www.dvps.info/ (checked 2026-09-16).
Collecting rules
Elsewhere
Cite this article
Stratum Study. "St. Clair fern beds" (Locality). Stratum Study pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-19. https://stratum.black/study/localities/st-clair-fern-beds. Accessed 2026-09-20.
@misc{stratum-st-clair-fern-beds,
title = {St. Clair fern beds},
author = {{Stratum Study}},
howpublished = {\url{https://stratum.black/study/localities/st-clair-fern-beds}},
year = {2026},
note = {Locality article, Stratum Study pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-19; sources: stratum, commons. Accessed 2026-09-20.}
} Citations carry the pack version and the article's as-of date so they resolve to the same text later. The facts themselves belong to the sources listed below; cite those for the science.