The Jurassic armored mud ball could soon have something in common with Plymouth Rock, the black-capped chickadee and the Boston cream pie: an official state symbol designation granted by Beacon Hill.
This unique prehistoric sedimentary structure discovered by Greenfield Community College Professor Emeritus Richard Little is one step closer to joining a list of various state symbols after the House of Representatives passed H.3438, “An Act Establishing the Official Sedimentary Structure of the Commonwealth” in August. The legislation was sent along to the Senate, where it now waits in the Senate Committee on Rules.
This is a big move for Little, the 82-year-old geologist, as this is the furthest he’s made it in the legislative process to designate the Jurassic armored mud ball as a state symbol. Little’s efforts began in 2020, in coordination with state Rep. Susannah Whipps, I-Athol, the lead sponsor for the House bill, and state Sen. Jo Comerford, D-Northampton, who handled the companion bill in the Senate, S.2115.
“I really thought it was going to have trouble getting through the House,” Little said.
Jurassic armored mud balls, consisting of dark, lithified shale surrounded by pebbles, were first discovered by Little in 1970 within the Jurassic sandstone cable anchors of a now-dismantled suspension bridge over the Connecticut River between Turners Falls and Gill. His research revealed that the mud balls formed around 200 million years ago after chunks of sticky mud eroded and rolled into a streambed, picking up pebbles before being covered by stream deposits. He documented the mud balls in the Journal of Geology in 1982.
If the Jurassic armored mud ball becomes the state sedimentary structure, it would join other prehistoric state-designated symbols from western Massachusetts, including the podokesaurus holyokensis, meaning the “swift-footed lizard of Holyoke,” that was given the Massachusetts state dinosaur designation in 2022, and dinosaur tracks from Granby that were designated as the state fossil or fossil emblem in 1980. As an information sheet on the official Jurassic armored mud balls website points out, these two state symbols are found within the same geologic layers as the mud ball.
In 2024, the legislation fell flat after not making it through the joint committee due to a lack of support from the House, and it was referred for a “study order,” thus putting it in the “wastebasket” for that session, Little explained. However, the legislation was refiled, making it through the joint committee and a third reading by the House before being approved and sent to the Senate.
Since the House legislation passed, Little said he’s had conversations with Senate Committee on Rules Chair Joan Lovely, who represents the 2nd Essex District. He said there is an air of positivity around this legislation passing the Senate.
However, with other pressing legislative matters now that the formal legislative session has closed as of July 31, Little worries that the bill will fizzle out and he’ll have to do another two years of work to push for designation.
“But I’m still fairly confident that it will make its way through, because I have had positive conversations with the chair of the Rules Committee,” Little said, “and if anyone wants to contact her, this is a really good thing to do.”
Whipps described Little as a “force” for the way he’s spent the last few years continuing his advocacy for state recognition of the Jurassic armored mud balls, which she called “the jewel in Franklin County’s crown.”
A crown jewel to Franklin County
Little and supporters of the legislation highlighted a few important points as to why the mud balls should be recognized among other iconic Massachusetts symbols.
What makes the mud balls so unique in Franklin County are the ease of access to see these Jurassic-age structures, Little pointed out. At GCC, there are mud balls on display for the public, and in Turners Falls, people can see mud balls in the courtyard of the Great Falls Discovery Center. In Gill, one of the sandstone bridge abutments where Little first discovered the mud balls still exists in the Riverside neighborhood.
In addition, the rarity and condition of these lithified armored mud balls is another boon for why they should be recognized. Mud balls can be found across the world, but lithified mud balls are far rarer to find anywhere else but here.
The preservation of these structures provides deeper insight into what unique geology the state has, Massachusetts State Geologist Brian Yellen explained, and a state designation could highlight the uniqueness of the ground below our feet.
Yellen pointed to how the mud ball is a “sedimentary clue” of the climate during the prehistoric age, when dinosaurs roamed in an environment similar to what is found within the Indus River Valley in Pakistan today. In the Connecticut River Valley, Yellen pointed to the accessibility of this geology, whether that’s in the form of the Jurassic armored mud balls or dinosaur footprints.
“I’ve been delighted to follow Richard’s lead in advocating for this at the state level, not just because the armored mud ball’s cool, but because any effort that can raise people’s geologic and earth literacy, I think, is ultimately good for the state,” Yellen said.
Fred Venne, director of education at the Beneski Museum of Natural History at Amherst College, agrees that a state designation for the Jurassic armored mud ball would keep earth sciences a relevant education topic locally.
On top of expanding education, Venne also sees the proposed designation as a way to preserve the Jurassic armored mud ball in the local geographic record, providing an opportunity for learning that delves into how local geology has changed and developed over millions of years. That learning can be linked directly to an existing structure.
“Having a real strong understanding of Earth systems and how they interrelate is critical, and you need things that link you to that,” Venne said. “Armored mud balls are one of those things that links you concretely to an understanding of the geologic past.”
Little has found his experience of making his case to the state and educating people about mud balls to be “rewarding.” He mentioned some of his lobbying techniques included handing out educational materials to lawmakers, with a Ferrero Rocher on the side, as this chocolate candy is an effective visualization for a Jurassic armored mud ball.
“I am very excited and very proud to be part of this process,” Little said, “and just hope it goes through this last step, so we can have success.”
Little urges those who are interested in supporting the legislation to email the chair and vice chair of the Senate Committee on Rules, along with other legislators both in and outside the Connecticut River Valley, indicating support for S.2115. More information about this advocacy is available at armoredmudballs.rocks.
