Underground Petrified Rainforest Open House at the Vermilion County Museum, November 15

by | Nov 13, 2026 | Uncategorized

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The Underground Petrified Rainforest of Vermilion County is coming to the Vermilion County Museum in Danville, and you’re invited.

On Sunday, November 15, 2026, the museum is hosting an open house featuring a new UPRVC exhibit and photos of the 300-million-year-old fossilized rainforest discovered in 2007 in the Riola and Vermilion Grove coal mines, about 250 feet below ground.

Event Details

Richard will share the story of the discovery, what the fossils tell us about life in a Pennsylvanian-age rainforest, and the effort to turn the mines into a landmark, educational museum, and nature park.

A Look at One of the Fossils

Sphenophyllum emarginatum fossil from the vermilion county mine
Sphenophyllum emarginatum, found in the Riola Mine. This plant was an early relative of today’s horsetails. Its wedge-shaped leaves grew in rings around the stem, with small notches at the tips, and were preserved in shale about 300 million years ago.

Have questions or want to get involved? Contact Richard at 217-239-0601 or petrifiedfossils@gmail.com.