Mineral Wells, TX Fossil Finds

[saraltuell]

Hello Fossil Friends! 

 

I recently went on a kayak camping trip on the Brazos River in North Texas and made a stop by the Mineral Wells Fossil Park. We found some incredible fossils both on the river and at the park! I was so excited about our finds that cleaning and ID'ing the fossils took priority over any cleaning and tidying up of camping gear... I started with the Mineral Wells fossils, since there were a lot of great specimens and some decent information available online about the fossils from that park. I was able to ID a lot of specimens easily (crinoids, nautiloids, bivalves, brachiopods, bryozoa, gastropods, sponges, corals and trilobites). This post contains the fossils (or what I think look like fossils!) from Mineral Wells Fossil Park that I have not been able to ID.

 

This is my first attempt at any fossil hunting and identification, so please bear with me and I am open to any and all advice! I don't have a macro lens, so these pictures are just about as good as it's going to get. HOWEVER I would be willing to try to get more/better pictures if needed to help ID!

 

Any assistance TFF community can give me on ID'ing these would be so greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance.

 

Location: Mineral Wells Fossil Park, Texas

Park is dated to Pennsylvanian Period, just over 300 million years ago

 

#1

 

#2. It is a bit difficult in the picture to see what I think is interesting about this find... In the first (scaled) image, it looks like there may be some small bumps around a central raised area.. possible echinoid plate?

 

 

#3

 

#4

 

#5. 

 

#6

 

#7

 

#8

 

#9

 

#10. This didn't clean up as well as I'd hoped, but I picked it because it looked like a closed mollusk. A piece broke off during cleaning which makes me think it may be just a rock?

 

#11. Crinoid cirrus? Root? Maybe a small piece of stalk?

 

#12

 

#13

 

#14

 

#15

 

#16

 

#17

[Monica]

Hello there, and welcome to the forum!

 

Nice assortment of finds!  I'm definitely no expert, but I just wanted to chime in to say that I think this one belongs to a productid brachiopod:

I'll tag Adam @Tidgy's Dad because he loves and is very knowledgeable about brachiopods 

[DPS Ammonite]

Welcome to the Forum.

 

1 Possible piece of Isogramma brachiopod.

 

2 Fuzzy. Possibly spine based on brachiopod.

 

3 Need better photo. If it has lots of little knobs then it might be a sponge such as Coelocladia spinoza. 
 

4 Productid brachiopod with spines

 

5 Productid brachiopod. Juresania?

 

6 Need better photo

 

7 Brachiopod with spines.

 

8 Probably burrow.

 

9 Pyrite nodule possible turned into iron (hydr) oxide.

 

10 Probably Composita brachiopods.

 

11 Crinoid, yes; part unknown.

 

12 Crinoid stem.

 

13 Looks spiky, possibly a sponge

 

14 Need better photos and picture of ends. Burrow? Sponge?

 

15 Encrusting bryozoan.

 

16 Bryozoan, possibly.   Possibly Rhombopora.

 

17 Encrusting bryozoan. Tabulipora?

 

The best guide to Texas Pennsylvanian fossils is: 

 

Color Guide of Pennsylvanian Fossils of North Texas by McKinzie.

 

https://www.amazon.com/Color-Guide-Pennsylvanian-Fossils-North/dp/0692506136

 

 

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

Indeed, thanks, Monica. 

Several of these are productid brachiopods.

4. could be Marginifera sp.

5. Juresania nebrascensis ? 

6. Extra spiny Juresania ?

7. Dunno. Maybe Juresania again or a bit of Fimbrinia? 

 

 

Anyway, nice finds.

And hello, Sara, and a very warm welcome to TFF from Morocco!

@Herb