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In the little bits of matrix I have from the Waldron Shale of the Illinois Basin of SW Indiana, I have recently found this specimen. I'm fairly sure it's a crinoid, may even be two or three in this piece, a sort of mini mortality plate. Anyone have any idea which genus of crinoid it could be please? A second calyx to the upper right of the first, perhaps? This looks like another calyx, located just under the first but aligned in the same direction :

Any idea what this specimen is? (US Quarter is 24.26mm or 2.426cm) It was gifted to me, without any location information.

A couple months ago I found a new spot in the Liberty Formation (Late Ordovician) in southeast Indiana. The Liberty is most famous for the butter shale layer producing thousands of Flexicalymene minuens trilobites, well exposed at the large roadcut near St. Leon. This new site is in the Lower Liberty (below the trilobite shale), which is exposed at St. Leon but is mostly covered by talus and thus difficult to hunt there. I was able to visit this site again last week, and I think it will become a regular spot for me whenever I can travel to the Cincinnati area. Figured I'd share some of my favorite finds from these two visits. Glyptorthis insculpta Hebertella occidentalis Petrocrania scabiosa inarticulate brachiopods attached to a Strophomena planumbona Leptaena richmondensis Plaesiomys subquadrata Plaesiomys subquadrata with an attached bryozoan The hypostome of a lichiid trilobite Plicodendrocrinus casei - I think this is the most common crinoid in the Liberty Flexicalymene retrorsa If you ever are able to collect in the Liberty, definitely do. It produces a lot of very nice and interesting specimens.

I’m really new to fossil identification but my nearly eight year old grandson’s recent passion has sparked my interest and we have been going through some of my beach stone pick ups I’ve always picked up interesting looking (or interesting feeling)stones and what I thought were shells- turns out I have quite a few fossils. The flint photos below were found on Whitstable Beach in Kent England. I joked and called them witches fingers but now I’m wondering… are there crinoids on the surface or just marks. The second stone I can remember one of the grandkids giving to me as it looked like a bird it is probably from Whitley Bay or Roker beaches in Tyne & Wear England I wondered again about a fossil either sponge or coral. From what I’ve read I’m assuming the 3rd stone is a sponge? Again just picked up and pocketed as it felt nice and looked different. These are just a few of my finds, it’s amazing what you can find when you are not looking. thank you for any help you can provide.

Hi everyone this is Matt again. Today in the creek, I came across a very nice crinoid stem fossil. Here is a photo:

Hi, this rock was found in a construction site in Bexar county, Texas. I think there are mostly mollusk shells, but I’m also really curious about the little tube things, which I’m guessing might be crinoids? Thank you for your help!

Ever since the Cambrian Explosion, the continent of Laurentia (what is today Eastern North America and Greenland) had been colliding with Baltica (what is today Northern Europe and the Barents Sea). They clashed over millions of years, causing volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, and the usual, creating new large bodies of land. Still, at the same time, another miniature continent was forming, which would eventually become one with the two. This tiny landmass was called Avalonia, a long island that today makes up the middle to the upper eastern coastline of the U.S. and Maritime Canada. This body of land helped form a shallow sea between Laurentia and itself, providing a haven for many extinct organisms. This shallow sea was filled to the brim with life, everything from jawless fish to sea scorpions to trilobites, even orthocones. It would continue to exist until around the late Carboniferous and early Permian, when Laurentia, Baltica, and Avalonia were finally attached, causing the sea to become one with the newly-formed landmass of Pangea, creating the same swamps and lush forests unearthed in the Bay of Fundy. So, why do I bring up Avalonia and this long-lost ancient sea on the landmass' western coastline? Well, remember how I said all of Avalonia makes up the eastern U.S. and Canada? You see, Southwestern Avalonia made up what is today the states of New Hampshire and Vermont, which were both part of the shallow sea and the small continent, and small fragments of a formation from the Silurian exist today. This formation is called the Clough Formation, and it makes up most of the Northern Connecticut River Valley, with fossils dating back to both the Mid-Late Silurian and the Early-Mid Devonian. The problem, however, is that because New Hampshire and Vermont mainly consist of metamorphic and igneous rock left behind from the days of those volcanic eruptions I mentioned earlier, there are very few sedimentary formations or rocks in those states. However, that is not to say there aren't any fossils; no, no, no. The Clough Formation is a unique case in geology and paleontology, as the rocks and minerals in this formation are entirely metamorphosed sedimentary rock. Despite the rare chance of finding fossils in such a formation, the impossible was proven. Records dating back to around the late 1800s up to today tell tales of weird shapes and patterns in the semi-metamorphic slate, all of which point back to the organisms that once roamed that shallow sea millions of years ago, and guys, I believe I may have just found one, but I am still not sure. I drove out to southern Lebanon in New Hampshire, just a mile south of Whaleback Mountain, to walk the bike path alongside the highway. I knew that fossils had been reported there, so I brought my trusty geology hammer to break open some rocks. After about 30 minutes to an hour of searching, I came across an intriguing find. On the top-most part, I found a unique pattern that completely stood out from the rest of the rock. It appeared jagged and sharp, small bristles pointing out like tiny syringe needles. Just underneath it, small pill-shaped oddities held on to it, almost as if they depended on the strands to survive. I do not know if this is just a mineral deposit or a part of some metamorphic locality, but whatever it is, it looks interesting. I feel that I may have found one, but just for clarification, I have hopped on the forum to ask you all this question; do you guys think I may have just found a fossil? Let me know in the comments what you all think. Oh, also, if anybody can identify what kind of rock this thing came from? It would really be helpful, as I could use this as a helpful tip for finding fossils out here in the great wilderness of New England.

Hi, I have just purchased this Crinoid fossil cluster and I can't make out what the card that came with it says. I was hoping someone could hopefully help? I have it down as saying, Zenacrinus bairdi, Liberty formation, Leaves creek, Ohio, Ordovian period. Thank you (hopefully!)

Hi There, Another fossil find needing some help with its ID please. This was found at Llanymynech Quarry in Shropshire/Wales which the cliffs are Carboniferous limestone. I think it could be a coral of some type or at a push a section of a Crinoidea. Many thanks in advance. N

Hello all, I hear that crinoids from a site known as "Corey's Bluff" of Crawfordsville, Indiana tend to be susceptible to pyrite decay. I don't know if this is a pattern but I've noticed a few crinoids from this location having black spots that I'm told are pyrite. Could I ask any members who've dealt with these crinoids or heard of this speak about their experiences? I noticed @Harry Pristis for one has some very nice crinoids from this site with such spots. I'd really appreciate any and all thoughts. Thank you.

I went to a locale in Kentucky I'd heard about and did some hunting for blastoids, which I had never looked for before. After about an hour I came away with a bunch of crinoid pieces, some brachiopods, some random bryozoan pieces, a few horn corals, what may be a gastropod, and a bunch of blastoids of at least two different species. On to the pictures. I also included some random odds-n-ends at the bottom. A pile of fossils. Some of the more interesting crinoids. The three on top have some pyrite encrustation. The four on the bottom are interesting because they broke pre-fossilization but are still associated, have bryozoan encrustation, or have hold-fast nubs on them. Close up of pyrite encrusted pieces. Horn corals. Brachiopods. Possible gastropod. Blastoids. Largest is just over 1cm. More blastoids. Largest is just over 2cm. And finally some odds-n-ends found while drilling along the Tennessee River. Everything is from about 80'-100' bgs. Two pieces of oolitic limestone. Weird ball of something. No clue what it is. Really should acid test it at least. (Shown next to one of the pieces of oolitic limestone.) A carapace. I'm not sure if this is old material or if it is recent remains of something living in the subsurface gravel layers. And lastly a chunk of fluoride from NW Ohio.

Hi everyone. Today I went down to the Hamburg Fairgrounds for the fossil and gem show. That place was loaded with fossils, minerals, gems, and crystals. When I was there I bought a nice trilobite and a nice crinoid fossil. Here are photos:

Hello all, Thank you always for your help. This time I'm asking about a Bundenbach crinoid I came across. The seller says it's a Thallocrinus sp. but an unusual one and that "Bundenbach crinoid experts" are divided on further identification. More importantly, I have very little experience looking at these sort of crinoids and honestly this almost looks spray-painted gold to me (even though I know these are pyritized) so I wanted to consult TFF experts on it regarding its authenticity. The first 2 photos taken under flash photography, the rest in natural sunlight: If it is genuine, what do you think of the species ID? The following photo is the only other Bundenbach Thallocrinus I could find, a Thallocrinus procerus, but it has much clearer pinnules than the specimen in question. I cannot tell if this is due to difference in species, incomplete prep, or worst of all bad preservation, though the seller claims poor preservation is not the case here. Thank you.

Hi, I found this the other day and thought possible it was a crinoid but the bottom was very round and not disc like. Any help would be greatly appreciated. It was found in the Canehill, Arkansas area Northwest Arkansas, thanks.

Hello, I'm considering this crinoid from the Silica Shale of Ohio, Arthroacantha carpenteri. From what I understand, the unique preservation of this site for these crinoids is a pyritization/pyrite replacement. This specimen seems to have sparkling up close, but it is not apparent from a distance. Does this one indeed seem pyritized? I'd like it if it's a nice, representative example. Thanks.

Here's a simple looking crinoid I'd like identified from the Edwardsville Formation. It's the crinoid in the center of the photograph. Two non-branching arms spring from each radial. The crown (calyx and arms exclusive of the stem) is about 5 cm long.

Hello Everyone In June last year I went on a trip with my parents to the Late Ordovician / Early Silurian-aged Cotton Formation at the Cotton Hill quarry in Forbes. All relevant permission was obtained from the local council prior to attending. I have heard that the Fossil Club of Australia (formerly NSW) do trips here as a group as well, that's probably the easiest way to attend. I planned to post this in August, however due to Covid I didn’t have access to the fossils to take pictures. Also, I only just recently bought some macro equipment to take photos of the fossils which is why my post took so long. Be sure to zoom in on each photo as they are all highly detailed. (open in a new tab) For useful previous expeditions and information by others see: For those unaware, the fauna is dominated by Sinespinaspis markhami, a small odontopleurid trilobite. Unfortunately, I found no specimens with their free cheeks attached, nor did I find any specimens of the rarer Aulacopleura pogsoni or the even rarer Raphiophorus sandfordi. We had two days of digging, and the temperature was a cool 14-15C on both days, but once the sun came out and with long-sleeve shirt and pants on, we definitely started sweating. As soon as we got out of the car, I found a partial trilobite negative lying on the ground. It was 8mm long and looked like it was left behind by another fossicker. Once we realised where the designated fossicking area was (back near the road entrance, and not in front of the parking area) we could start properly searching for fossils. The first ones we found were on the surface on the westernmost boundary. It’s amazing how big the actual site is. Considering how deep the hole in the ground is, there probably would’ve been thousands or millions of fossils unearthed and used in road material over the years. Both the plates seem to be death assemblages, with hundreds of “trilo-bits” on them along with what looks like tiny shells. When I got home, I wanted to split the L-shaped to expose more of the second layer (you can see one set of cold chisel marks) but the matrix must have been unstable as it cracked into five pieces and exploded. It did set free a new trilobite though, which is cool.

Hello, Can anyone help with identifying this supposed crinoid plate? It's from Lyme Regis, Jurassic Coast of UK and measures 95mmx85mm, but no further info. It looks like a mangled mess of arm plates and stem, but I'm not even sure if there's quite any crinoid in there.

Hi everyone, nearly a month ago I posted this Devonian crinoid I found at Deep Springs Road here for an ID. I finally got it prepped (finished Feb 1st 2022), and it came out really nice! I originally thought it was a Logocrinus, but the more I look at it the less it checks out. I also thought it may have been a Ancyrocrinus, but it also doesn't look right. Does anyone have any ideas on an ID? Edit: the ID Decadocrinus multinosodus has been assigned to this Crinoid by a professional at the RMSC! Before prep After prep

Just sharing some plates from eastern MO. Not sure what subgroup of the Ordovician. Thanks for looking!

Hello, I'm considering this crinoid, listed as Eucalyptocrinus crassus. It is about 6cm. I was wondering if there looks to be any reconstruction/repair, and if the preservation quality looks to be good/bad/typical of these specimens? I'm not an expert on these but from what I understand this specimen has the arms attached and preserved on the crown, but it is a little crushed? I'd like to add it to my collection if it's in decent state. Thanks.