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Showing results for tags 'iowaphyllum nisbeti'.
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Several days ago I ventured to a Devonian desert locality near Superior, Arizona. I found the largest fossilized coral colony that I have ever found: 2 ft across. A giant Iowaphyllum nisbeti coral was covered over it’s entire length with several inches of a stromatoporoid sponge. I should have taken a photo, but it was not very photogenic; it looked like a white ledge in cross section. First photo is a piece of light colored Iowaphyllum nisbeti coral covered with a medium gray calcitic stromatoporoid coral that is about 8 inches across. The top of the coral is pointed up. The second photo shows a detail of the stromatoporoid with horizontal layers and faint vertical pillars Nearby I found a partly silicified stromatoporoid 5 inches across that may be the same as the one mentioned above. This is probably the best hand sample of a stromatoporoid that I have found since the vertical pillars are so prominent. Only about 20% of the pillars are easily visible. Pillars differentiate stromatoporoid sponges from stromatolites which show only horizontal (to the growing direction) layers. See up close section of the stromatoporoid in the last photo. See an Iowaphyllum nisbeti in Collections: http://www.thefossilforum.com/index.php?/collections-database/cnidarians/corals/iowaphyllum-nisbeti-oliver-1978-r1966/
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This Late Devonian silicified coral was first found in the Superstition Mountains by Gladys Turner Nisbet who was a botanist from Cave Creek, Arizona. I found mine nearby. Wikipedia: Link Measurements given for whole colony. Coralites vary from 10 mm to 40 mm across. Average is 15 mm to 20 mm. Oliver, W.A., Jr., 1978, Iowaphyllum (rugose coral) from the Upper Devonian of Arizona: U.S. Geological Survey Journal of Research, v. 6, no. 6, p. 797-805. Link Mindat Link