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Showing results for tags 'meramecian'.
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My fossil hunting friend came across this object in a creek in eastern Missouri. At first glance this ~1 cm diameter ball with stout spikes would seem to be some sort of camerate crinoid, but the spikes cover the entire surface, with no apparent place to put arms, column, mouth, or anus. (Side note: That must be the crinoid folksong community's version of "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes.") From there my fallback would be coral, or perhaps sponge, but the complete coverage around the whole sphere (see attached video) has me a bit baffled. The creek flows through mostly Meramecian (Visean) Mississippian bedrock, in particular the Salem Limestone. There is abundant chert, with common silicified fossils, which is what I believe this to be, though I have not examined it myself. Perhaps this is the internal mold of something? The chert bits I have seen from this creek, and from this region in general, are by and large not internal molds, but rather proper replacement fossils. I guess this oddity just has me reaching. Any thoughts with regard to identification would be most appreciated. video-1562025086_u3dNmuqY_sDVP.mp4
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- illinois basin
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