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Coral from the Campanian St. Bartholomä formation, Styria, Austria (Gosau group, Eastern Alps)
FranzBernhard posted a topic in Fossil ID
Hello, some of you may have noticed my rudist posts from the Gosau basin of Kainach - St. Bartholomä, Styria, Austria. Beside rudists, there are also other fossils, but they are much rarer. During my hunting trips in the Campanian St. Bartholomä formation, I have found ca. 300 rudist specimens (hippuritidae and radiolitidae), but only 12 coral colonies, including two imprints, and no individual coral. I would like to show you one of these coral colonies and would like to ask you for your opinion. I will start with the simplest one. In the literature, only one coral species is described and two others are mentioned (without description) from St. Bartholomä. No pictures are published of any of these three coral species. Here is the only existing description of a coral from this formation (Schmidt, 1908): „Ein halbkugeliger Knollen von 5 cm Durchmesser aus der oberen Hippuritenbank von Kalchberg. Auf einem Anschliff sieht man in der Mitte ein Feld, wo die Kelche senkrecht stehen, am Rand sind sie dem Schliff parallel. … Die Kelche haben einen Durchmesser von 1-1.2 mm. An den Septen sind zwei Zyklen zu je acht Stück vorhanden. Das Säulchen ist punktförmig. Sehr schön ist das Cönenchym, aus unregelmäßig angeordneten Kalzifikationszentren bestehen, ausgebildet." "Half-spherical colonie with 5 cm diameter. ... The corallites have a diameter of 1-1.2 mm. There are 2 septal cycles with 8 septa each. The columella is point-like." He identified this coral as : Astrocoenia orbignyana Milne Edwards & Haime, 1848 According to Baron-Szabo (2014), this is today: Actinastrea orbignyi (Milne Edwards & Haime, 1848) The first two pictures are this species, figured in Baron-Szabo (2014). First scale bar is 10 mm, second one 3 mm. Specimen is from Gosau-Rusbach, Austria. The third picture is my specimen from St. Bartholomä. Its very rough at the outside, but not so bad preserved inside. Sorry, I can not make a better picture. I think it comes close to the description and pictures of Actinastrea orbignyi. What do you think? Thank you very much for your opinion! Franz Bernhard Literature: Baron-Szabo, R. Ch. (2014): Scleractinian Corals from the Cretaceous of the Alps and Northern Dinarides with remarks on related taxa. Abhandlungen der Geologischen Bundesanstalt, 68, 1-296. Schmidt, W. (1908): Die Kreidebildungen der Kainach. Jahrbuch der k.k. geologischen Reichsanstalt, 58, 223-246.
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Rudist hunting in St. Bartholomä, Styria, Austria - 13/07/2018
FranzBernhard posted a topic in Fossil Hunting Trips
Heavy rains in Styria, Austria, have overturned many creek beds. So this is a good time for fossil hunting, e.g. for rudists in St. Bartholomä: View of the hunting area from Pleschkogel mountain (1063 m) toward St. Bartholomä with Kreuzegg and Kalchberg, distance about 8 km. Note the conspicuous church of St. Bartholomä, just below Kreuzegg. View is nearly southward, in the far background the Pohorje mountains in Slovenia. Photo taken 07/07/2018.
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Apical view of a polished cross section of the right (lower) valve of Hippurites nabresinensis from the St. Bartholomä-Formation of the Gosau basin of Kainach - St. Bartholomä in western Styria, Austria. This species has no L-pillar, the P1-pillar is at ca. 3:00, the P2-pillar at ca. 5:00. The hump at ca. 8:00 is a growth anomaly. At ca. 11:00 and 1:00, the position of both teeth sockets is visible (a hypothetical L-pillar would be between them, see the specimen of H. colliciatus), at ca. 2:00 the position of the posterior muscle. At the upper left, it is intergrown with the fragment of another individual of the same (?) species. For specimens like this, the name H. heritschi was also in use. The specimen is from a large mound of stones, which were removed from the fields during many, many decades. This mound located in the southwerstern part of Kalchberg, southwest of St. Bartholomä (Point 36 in my own documentation).
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Apical view of a polished cross section of a pseudocolonie of three indivuals of Hippurites colliciatus from the St. Bartholomä-Formation of the Gosau basin of Kainach - St. Bartholomä in western Styria, Austria. The pillars (L, P1, P2) are indicated, the L-Piller of this species is only a small hump. Left and right of L, the position of both teeth sockets is visible, left of P1 also the position of the posterior muscle. For specimens like this, the name H. exaratus was also in use. The specimen is from a small scree in a small, abandoned marl quarry, located in the eastern part of Kalchberg, southwest of St. Bartholomä (Point 25 in my own documentation).
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Volute snail Athleta rarispina on matrix. Note the very well preserved borings of an unknown organism. Exact locality is Höllerkogel-18 in my own documentation. It is a tiny outcrop (about 1-2 square meters) in a densely wooded, very steep area southwest of St. Josef, Styria, Austria. This small outcrop, composed of a medium grained, quartz-rich, somewhat limonitic sand yielded, from November 2016 to May 2018, at least 80 species of gastropods and bivalves and is far from exhausted. Most of the fossils are characterized by a partial limonitic staining and usually a very good preservation. The species A. rarispina is moderately abundant in this outcrop. The sediments in the area belong to the "Florianer Schichten", which are part of the western Styrian basin at the eastern margin of the Alps. The "Florianer Schichten" are about 15 Ma old (Langhian, or "Badenian" in Paratethys stratigraphic terms).
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Anadara diluvii with matrix. Width of the teeth area on the second photo is 15 mm. Exact locality is Fuggaberg-3, west of St. Josef, in my own documentation. The fauna of this outcrop is by far (> 80 %) dominated by the mud snail Granulolabium bicinctum (Brocchi, 1814), which is a typical inhabitant of intertidal mudflats. A. diluvii is a relatively abundant species in this occurrence and a rather robust shell. The sediments in the area belong to the "Florianer Schichten", which are part of the western Styrian basin at the eastern margin of the Alps. The "Florianer Schichten" are about 15 Ma old (Langhian, or "Badenian" in Paratethys stratigraphic terms). Ref: Messner, F. & Bernhard, F. (2017): Eine aktuelle Fossilfundstelle bei Fuggaberg westlich St. Josef in der Weststeiermark (Florianer Schichten, mittleres Miozän). Der Steirische Mineralog, 32, 5-10.
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Acanthocardia paucicostata with matrix. Note the prominent spines, which can develop into spoons in some specimens. Compare with a recent specimen from WoRMS: http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=image&tid=138993&pic=65227 Exact locality is Fuggaberg-3, west of St. Josef, in my own documentation. The fauna of this outcrop is by far (> 80 %) dominated by the mud snail Granulolabium bicinctum (Brocchi, 1814), which is a typical inhabitant of intertidal mudflats. A. paucicostata is a relatively abundant species in this occurrence. The sediments in the area belong "Florianer Schichten", which are part of the western Styrian basin at the eastern margin of the Alps. The "Florianer Schichten" are about 15 Ma old (Langhian, or "Badenian" in Paratethys stratigraphic terms). Ref: Messner, F. & Bernhard, F. (2017): Eine aktuelle Fossilfundstelle bei Fuggaberg westlich St. Josef in der Weststeiermark (Florianer Schichten, mittleres Miozän). Der Steirische Mineralog, 32, 5-10.
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Two views of an olive snail Amalda glandiformis. Exact locality is Höllerkogel-18 in my own documentation. It is a tiny outcrop (about 1-2 square meters) in a densely wooded, very steep area southwest of St. Josef, Styria, Austria. This small outcrop, composed of a medium grained, quartz-rich, somewhat limonitic sand yielded, from November 2016 to May 2018, at least 80 species of gastropods and bivalves and is far from exhausted. Most of the fossils are characterized by a partial limonitic staining and usually a very good preservation. The species A. glandiformis is among the most abundant in this outcrop. The sediments in the area belong to the "Florianer Schichten", which are part of the western Styrian basin at the eastern margin of the Alps. The "Florianer Schichten" are about 15 Ma old (Langhian, or "Badenian" in Paratethys stratigraphic terms).
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Apical view of a polished cross section of the right (lower) valve of Vaccinites alpinus from the St. Bartholomä Formation of the Gosau basin of Kainach - St. Bartholomä in western Styria, Austria. Typical are the subparallel pillars, all situated in a small area of the rudist. The shell around the L-piller (left one) is missing in this specimen. For specimens like this, the name Hippurites/Vaccinites cornuvaccinum was in use. Study of specimens with preserved upper valve showed that V. cornuvaccinum is restricted to the Coniacian and V. alpinus to the upper Santonian and Campanian (Steuber & Schlüter, 2012). They can not be distinguished with the lower valve alone, but have different upper valves. Hence, identification is (also) based on stratigraphic information (Steuber, 2001: „This species [V. ultimus] was also figured by Kaumanns (1962) from Kainach (Styria) and erroneously assigned to various species of the group of V. cornuvaccinum.“). By the way, V. ultimus is a junior synonym of V. alpinus... (Steuber, 2003). The specimen is from a small scree in a small, abandoned marl quarry, located in the eastern part of Kalchberg, southwest of St. Bartholomä (Point 25 in my own documentation).
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Apical view of a polished cross section of the right (lower) valve of Vaccinites vesiculosus from the St. Bartholomä-Formation of the Gosau basin of Kainach - St. Bartholomä in western Styria, Austria. Typical are the slender L-pillar (at ca. 12:00), the round P1-pillar with a very slender stem (at ca. 2:00) and the spatula-shaped P2-piller, also with very slender steem (at ca. 3:00). For specimens like this, names like Hippurites styriacus und Hippurites carinthiacus were also in use. The specimen is from a small scree in a small, abandoned marl quarry, located in the eastern part of Kalchberg, southwest of St. Bartholomä (Point 25 in my own documentation).
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Shell preservation.
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Hippurites from St. Bartholomä, Styria, Austria (Campanium)
FranzBernhard posted a topic in Fossil Hunting Trips
Hello, just to show off some of my finds of Hippurites from August to October 2017 in the Campanian St. Bartholomä-formation of the Gosau basin of Kainach - St. Bartholomä, Styria, Austria. Upper right: 5x Hippurites colliciatus Woodward, 1855 Lower left: 4x Hippurites nabresinensis Futterer, 1893 If you are interested in field photographs etc., see: https://franzbernhard.lima-city.de/SanktBartholomae_Fossilfunde_Hippuritidae_Teil_3.pdf https://franzbernhard.lima-city.de/SanktBartholomae_Fossilfunde_Hippuritidae_Teil_2.pdf (in german) Franz Bernhard
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Hello, don´t know if this is the right forum, please feel free to move it. However, I would like to ask you, what do you think (in your personal opinion) is the most characteristic fossil or fossil group of Austria, this realy small country in central Europe, containing fossiliferous strata from the Ordivician to the Pleistocene. You can give also second or third choices, of course. Btw, if you have also an opinion about the most characteristic Austrian mineral, rock and mineralic raw material ("ore"), please let me know. Thank you very much for your participation! Franz Bernhard
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Hello, again I would like to ask for your kind help. I have two sectioned fossils from the Campanian Gosau basin of Kainach, Styria, Austria (St. Bartholomä-Formation). They are accompanied by radiolitid rudists (R), but I don´t think that they are rudists by itself. Could these be some kind of sponges? But I can not see any spicules. Frist specimen is 13.5 cm high, sections are ca. 3 mm apart. Second specimen is 11.5 cm wide, sections are ca. 16 mm apart. There is nothing visible on the wheatered surface, except some Radiolitid fragments. I know this website: http://www.cretaceous.de/ But I have not found anything definitive about sponges of the Austrian Gosau formations. Maybe someone can give me a hint? Thank you very much for your help! Franz Bernhard Specimen 1 Specimen 2
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From the album: Vertebrates
Leuciscus non det. Middle Miocene Schassbach Lavanttal Carinthia Austria Length 19cm / 7" -
Hello, this time a very mysterious fossil from the Gosau basin of Kainach, Styria, Austria (Campanium). A piece of limestone full of tubes with diameter up to 7 mm. There seem to be a variation of longidutinal ribs on the outside of the tubes. They are associated with one (lowest left) or two Hippuritids. I think these are serpulid worms, maybe genus Pyrgopolon, maybe something near to P. voigti Jäger, 2004. P. regia and P. macropus don´t fit 100%. What do you think? Problem is, I can not find any reference about serpulids from the Austrian gosau basins - ? Thank you very much for your help! Franz Bernhard
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Hello! I am currently looking for the rudists of the Upper Cretaceous Gosau basin of Kainach, Styria, Austria, around St. Bartholomae. So far, I have found one determinable specimen. I think, it could be Vaccinites vesiculosus (Woodward 1855). From this area, beside other rudists, Hippurites styriacus Hilber 1902, Hippurites carinthiacus Redlich 1899 and Hippirutes oppeli santoniensis Kühn 1954 are described in the literature, which seem to be all synonyms of V. vesiculosus, according to various sources. The first photo shows the outer surface of the specimen, which is not very distinctive. Height of the specimen is 13 cm, maximum diameter about 7 cm. A saw cut is indicated by a green arrow. The second picture shows the two polished, cut surfaces of the "rock". The diamater of the large rudist is 7 cm, it seems to be intergrown with a Radiolites sp. and there is also a small Hippurites sp. nearby. The third picture is an enlargement of the V. vesiculosus in question. What do you think, could my determination as V. v. be correct? Thank you very much for your help! Franz Bernhard Picture 2
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Hello, again a question from the Styrian Basin of Austria. I think these are three lucinid bivalves. They are middle miocene in age (ca. 15 Ma) and come from the "Florianer Schichten" of the Styrian basin in Austria. I don´t think that they are Loripes dujardini (= Lucina dujardini), but that is the closesd match compared with the bivalves in Hörnes (1870). They also resemble in many aspects Linga columbella, but the bivalves in question are much flatter. They are associated with "true" Linga columbella, Divaricella ornata and Codakia leonina and various molluscs ("Tellina", Callista, Athleta, Amalda and much more). Size is 13 mm each. Thank you very much for your suggestion! Franz Bernhard
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I bought this specimen many years ago in a small museum in Austria. The fossil itself is a very fragile flat piece of coal, was collected locally and sold by the same paleontologist who works in the museum itself. I cleaned it by myself since it was not prepared and covered in soil fragments, the real shape of the fossil had remained hidden behind a black layer of dust. When purchasing, I was told that it probably was a bark fragment from Alethopteris, but looking at it now I have the heavy suspect that it is instead a small Lepidodendron branch (excluding all the surrounding undefined plant material). More detailed information: found on mount Königsstuhl in Nockalm, southern Austria dated 330 million years, Middle Mississippian, Carboniferous measures approximately 21,7 x 14,2 cm This additional photo can be found on my Deviantart page, (am I allowed to post this link here?)
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References: Gorjanović-Kramberger, K. (1905): Die obertriadische Fischfauna von Hallein in Salzburg. Beitr. Paläont. Geol. Österr.-Ungarns u. d. Orients, VIII, pp 193-224, Taf. 17-21
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Paralepidotus ornatus is a rather common semionotid in most Norian marine localities of Europe, ranging from a few centimeters up to 50cm in standard length. Specimens of Paralepidotus have been recorded from other localities and have often been described under new specific names such as Lepidotes fimbriatus, L. parvulus, L. latus, Heterolepidotus dorsalis, Colobodus elongatus… Juveniles are more slender than adults and their dentition is not like the powerful crushing one of large species. This implies a change in environment during the live of an individual Paralepidotus from superficial open waters to shallow mollusc banks. A change in diet is also implied by the change in dentition. It is thought that juvenile Paralepidotus lived on crustaceans whereas adult Paralepidotus had a strictly durophagous dentition and fed exclusively on molluscs. The slender body of young Paralepidotus suggests that they lived quite far from the bottom and were rather fast swimmers. Adult Paralepidotus were probably shell eaters, slowly swimming just above the bottom. References: Tintori, A. Paralepidotus ornatus (Agassiz 1833-43) a Semionotid from the Norian of Europe. Mesozoic Fishes – Systematics and Paleocology, G. Arratia & G.Viohl (eds.):pp167-179. Gorjanović-Kramberger, K. (1905): Die obertriadische Fischfauna von Hallein in Salzburg. Beitr. Paläont. Geol. Österr.-Ungarns u. d. Orients, VIII, pp 193-224, Taf. 17-21
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Anadara diluvii ?? - Styrian Basin of Austria - Miocene, Badenium (ca. 15 Ma)
FranzBernhard posted a topic in Fossil ID
Hello, and another bivalve from the Miocene Styrian basin of Austria. It has some resemblance with Anadara diluvii, but I am not totally sure. It is associated with a brackisch fauna (Crassostrea gryphoides, Pirenella picta, Terebralia bidentata). For comparison a typical Anadara diluvii from the same area, but another locality, is also attached (size 2 cm). This type is also abundant at other localities in the area (typically with marine fauna). All suggestions and comments are greatly appreciated! Franz Bernhar
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Gastropod - Miocene (Badenium, ca. 15 Ma) of the Styrian basin
FranzBernhard posted a topic in Fossil ID
Hello, and now a gastropod from the same are (Styrian basin of Austria, Badenium, "Pölser Mergel", locality Pöls). It is associated with marine molluscs (Turritella, Conus etc.) and also a colonial coral was found there (Siderastrea). I can not even find a vaguely similar gastropod in the atlas of Hoernes. It has - to my eyes - some resemblance to Ampullina from the upper Cretaceous... Length is about 3 cm. Thank you very much for your help! Franz Bernhard
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Bivale - Miocene (Badenium, ca. 15 Ma) of the Styrian Basin
FranzBernhard posted a topic in Fossil ID
Hello, again a bivalve from the Badenium of the Styrian Basin ("Pölser Mergel" in Fuggaberg). It is associated with a brackish fauna: abundant Crassostrea gryphoides and Pirenella picta; less abundant Terebralia bidentata and Anadara diluvii (brackish??) and some smooth, thin-walled bivalves. I don´t even know if the attached bivalve belongs to the Cardiida or to the Carditida... Acanthocardia clavata/turonica are abundant at other localities within the "Pölser Mergel". Or is it just a variety of Acanthocardia clavata/turonica with this spoon-like spines? Size of the bivalve is ca. 1.5 cm. Thank you very much for your suggestions! Franz Bernhard
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From the album: Ursus spelaeus (Cave Bear) collection.
Ice Age Cave Bear (Ursus spelaeus) paw from Mixnitz. With my hand as scale! Massive!
