TqB Posted April 25, 2020 Share Posted April 25, 2020 A few old collection specimens of Devon coral that I've acquired over the years. In scarce supply now, the south Devonshire area around Torquay and Teignmouth was once (mainly 19th and early 20th c) the centre of an ornamental "marble" industry. Much of it went into high class interiors (floors, pillars etc.) but there was a large usage of small pieces for ornamental objects (desk furniture, trinket boxes) and also as inlay pieces for magnificent tables. Fossil specimens were also specifically sold as such. It's not a true marble but a range of well compressed, heated and mineralised limestones that has a range of colours and takes a fine polish. I haven't yet worked out detailed stratigraphy for any of these specimens but they're Middle and Upper Devonian. Apologies for the scratches on some of them - I haven't yet refinished them either. The brass scale is 1cm long. First, a couple of little tablets of Frechastraea sp. 2nd piece: And the only other rugose one so far, a Phillipsastraea sp. that has been fractured and subsequently stylolitised with pink/red veins - this is common in a lot of limestone from the area. 17 Tarquin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Amateur Paleontologist Posted April 25, 2020 Share Posted April 25, 2020 Those are beautiful. Opalised fossils are the best: a wonderful mix between paleontology and mineralogy! Q. Where do dinosaurs study? A. At Khaan Academy!... My ResearchGate profile Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TqB Posted April 25, 2020 Author Share Posted April 25, 2020 On to tabulates - two specimens of Heliolites ?porosus. The first one is a cut and polished beach pebble and probably came from local Permian conglomerate that contains many reworked Devonian pieces - a very good source of the smaller specimens. An old ink inscription on the back giving its name (with the species the wrong gender). The second colourless one shows different septal structure but I think that's variation in the species. 11 Tarquin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TqB Posted April 25, 2020 Author Share Posted April 25, 2020 Finally, a classic ornamental stone from the area colloquially known as "featherstone". Two tabulate corals, Thamnopora sp. and ?Parastriatopora sp (smaller corallites). This type is probably the most widely used for ornamental objects which quite often crop up for sale. It shows the stylolites around the fragments of coral well. (Really needs regrinding to get the old scratches out!). 13 Tarquin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tidgy's Dad Posted April 25, 2020 Share Posted April 25, 2020 Stunning, Tarquin, these Devonian corals look so beautiful when polished like that. I have some from the same area, including stylolitised specimens, but haven't polished them up. Life's Good! Tortoise Friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobby Rico Posted April 25, 2020 Share Posted April 25, 2020 Wow beautiful, the form and colour does make for an really interesting piece. I also like the copper plate writing on the one and nice big of history too. Thanks Tarquin all the best Bobby Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted April 26, 2020 Share Posted April 26, 2020 Excellent examples, Tarquin! Thanks for showing these. Truly lovely. Tim - VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER VFOTM --- APRIL - 2015 __________________________________________________ "In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks." John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~ ><))))( *> About Me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FossilNerd Posted April 26, 2020 Share Posted April 26, 2020 Beautiful pieces! The human history that goes along with it is an added bonus. Thanks for sharing! The good thing about science is that it's true whether or not you believe in it. -Neil deGrasse Tyson Everyone you will ever meet knows something you don't. -Bill Nye (The Science Guy) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ludwigia Posted April 26, 2020 Share Posted April 26, 2020 Nice to have some historical things to play with. Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger http://www.steinkern.de/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TqB Posted April 26, 2020 Author Share Posted April 26, 2020 17 hours ago, The Amateur Paleontologist said: Those are beautiful. 12 hours ago, Tidgy's Dad said: Stunning, Tarquin, these Devonian corals look so beautiful when polished like that. I have some from the same area, including stylolitised specimens, but haven't polished them up. 10 hours ago, Bobby Rico said: Wow beautiful, the form and colour does make for an really interesting piece. I also like the copper plate writing on the one and nice big of history too. Thanks Tarquin all the best Bobby 7 hours ago, Fossildude19 said: Excellent examples, Tarquin! Thanks for showing these. Truly lovely. 6 hours ago, FossilNerd said: Beautiful pieces! The human history that goes along with it is an added bonus. Thanks for sharing! Many thanks, everyone! They're of limited scientific interest but they cheer me up and I like the human history too. If anyone's interested, the Geologists' Association (UK) has published a superb two volume study of the marbles as part of their excellent field guide series: 7 Tarquin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TqB Posted April 26, 2020 Author Share Posted April 26, 2020 4 minutes ago, Ludwigia said: Nice to have some historical things to play with. Exactly. Tarquin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Saunders Posted April 26, 2020 Share Posted April 26, 2020 (Really needs regrinding to get the old scratches out!). ?? How hard is the fossil? With our Michigan Petoskey stones we wet sand them with wet or dry auto body sand paper. since it is already cut and worked some I would start with 180 grit the 360 then 600 grit and up to 1,200 grit always wet. or a diamond flat lap, unless you find it too hard for sanding. just do a test spot in an unimportant place just in case. or a machine like a Cab King. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TqB Posted April 26, 2020 Author Share Posted April 26, 2020 17 minutes ago, Bob Saunders said: (Really needs regrinding to get the old scratches out!). ?? How hard is the fossil? With our Michigan Petoskey stones we wet sand them with wet or dry auto body sand paper. since it is already cut and worked some I would start with 180 grit the 360 then 600 grit and up to 1,200 grit always wet. or a diamond flat lap, unless you find it too hard for sanding. just do a test spot in an unimportant place just in case. or a machine like a Cab King. Thanks, Bob! I do a lot of coral cutting and polishing (mostly Carboniferous) and use exactly that hand method. Just haven't got around to refinishing some of these yet, slowed down by a bit of carpal tunnel trouble. Tarquin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TqB Posted April 26, 2020 Author Share Posted April 26, 2020 I forgot one! Just a Favosites but attractive. 6 Tarquin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Notidanodon Posted November 25, 2020 Share Posted November 25, 2020 Thought I’d add some, would you happen to know the species? @TqB 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Notidanodon Posted November 25, 2020 Share Posted November 25, 2020 I’m not so sure on the location data on here but it says it comes from Paignton as well 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TqB Posted November 27, 2020 Author Share Posted November 27, 2020 (edited) On 25/11/2020 at 8:32 PM, will stevenson said: Thought I’d add some, would you happen to know the species? @TqB Hi Will, those are nice! Genus anyway, but not reliably species. The first and third are Heliolites and I'm fairly sure the second is a Hexagonaria. Devonian corals are a lot trickier for me than carboniferous ones - there was much more diversity. Edited November 27, 2020 by TqB 3 Tarquin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tidgy's Dad Posted November 27, 2020 Share Posted November 27, 2020 1 hour ago, TqB said: Hi Will, those are nice! Genus anyway, but not reliably species. The first and third are Heliolites and I'm fairly sure the second is a Hexagonaria. Devonian corals are a lot trickier for me than carboniferous ones - there was much more diversity. Yes, those pesky sea level rises and extinctions late in the Devonian really did for a lot of those Palaeozoic corals. They never really recovered. . 2 Life's Good! Tortoise Friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TqB Posted November 27, 2020 Author Share Posted November 27, 2020 14 minutes ago, Tidgy's Dad said: Yes, those pesky sea level rises and extinctions late in the Devonian really did for a lot of those Palaeozoic corals. They never really recovered. . Indeed, and the ancestry of a lot of Carboniferous ones is still problematic. 2 Tarquin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Notidanodon Posted November 27, 2020 Share Posted November 27, 2020 32 minutes ago, TqB said: Hi Will, those are nice! Genus anyway, but not reliably species. The first and third are Heliolites and I'm fairly sure the second is a Hexagonaria. Devonian corals are a lot trickier for me than carboniferous ones - there was much more diversity. Thanks, I learned something new today, I always wondered why there seemed to be few coral lineages in comparison to other groups 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeffrey P Posted December 1, 2020 Share Posted December 1, 2020 Those are exquisite, a sight to behold. Thanks for sharing your acquisitions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TqB Posted December 16, 2020 Author Share Posted December 16, 2020 On 01/12/2020 at 1:44 PM, Jeffrey P said: Those are exquisite, a sight to behold. Thanks for sharing your acquisitions. Thank you, Jeffrey! I've just acquired this one in an auction, a new species and genus for me. Haplothecia pengellyi (Edwards & Haime, 1851). The label (photo 3) is presumably a copy of a previous one where they couldn't read "Smithia pengellyi", its original name. "Penjellyi" should have a "g" and there's no record of "Snighia" anywhere! And they couldn't spell Paignton… (a well known resort on the S. Devonshire coast). It was assigned to Haplothecia by Scrutton 1967, "Marisastridae (rugosa) from S. E. Devonshire, England." Plate from Edwards & Haime monograph 1953 (they originally described it elsewhere in 1851). All Smithia pengellyi apart from centre top. Fig. 1a is an enlargement of part of 1. 3 Tarquin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tidgy's Dad Posted December 16, 2020 Share Posted December 16, 2020 Lovely fossil with a free intelligence test thrown in. You pass. 1 Life's Good! Tortoise Friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Notidanodon Posted December 16, 2020 Share Posted December 16, 2020 @TqB haha that one came from me, you got it for a steal! ps sorry for the previous owners poor spelling im glad it went to you 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TqB Posted December 17, 2020 Author Share Posted December 17, 2020 11 hours ago, will stevenson said: @TqB haha that one came from me, you got it for a steal! ps sorry for the previous owners poor spelling im glad it went to you Hi Will! It's a lovely little thing and I'm sorry the bidding wasn't a bit tougher. I'm always on the look out for these old specimens - they're not of much scientific value (apart from educational) but they're so attractive and redolent of the old marble trade. 11 hours ago, Tidgy's Dad said: Lovely fossil with a free intelligence test thrown in. You pass. Luckily, I have the monograph! I'll always know it as "Snighia" though! 2 Tarquin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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