Marine Fossils in my front stone path

[aardie]

Hi everyone!  Hoping you can help me with a mystery.  We've lived in our house for 5 years now, but with nothing else to do considering this pandemic, we've been exploring our front stone path a LOT more closely than we did before (especially considering 5 year old daughter's interest in fossils).  We have noticed three trilobites (don't know how I missed these in the past - they are clear as daylight) and a couple other interesting things (maybe bryozoans, coral or echinoderms - I admit i can't tell them apart well).  All of these new discoveries have me REALLY wondering now about something big that i have been wondering about for 5 years - the very last picture.  I previously thought it was man-made - maybe result of some rebar or something, but now with these other discoveries, i'm really wondering.  Anyone have any ideas for us?  Thank you!

 

We live in Northwest Indiana.  That may or may not say anything at all about where the stone was sourced.  I suspect it's limestone?  But I really don't know for sure.  We do have a giant quarry nearby (Thornton Quarry - fossil-rich limestone and on my bucket list to get a tour there one day).  But really, this stone could be from anywhere.   Lastly, each of these fossils (or mineralizations, or whatever they are) is in a different piece of stone.

 

Anyway - here are the pictures - seven "fossils" and one of the path so you can see what we're dealing with.  Thank you again!

[aardie]

[aardie]

[aardie]

[aardie]

[aardie]

[aardie]

This is the big mystery one.  If you tell me it's not a fossil and is man-made, I won't feel too stupid.  Thank you!

[aardie]

[ClearLake]

Very nice. The last one is definitely a fossil. At first I thought it was a straight nautiloid, but in looking closer I think it is a really big crinoid stem. Would love to see an end, but it looks like it is buried in your sidewalk. 

[piranha]

14 minutes ago, aardie said:

 

 

Gravicalymene celebra in Silurian dolomite

 

[ClearLake]

1, 2 and 3 are trilobites as you already know. 4 looks like a strophomenid brachiopod that may be covered with bryozoan or maybe it is just the weathering, I can’t really tell from the picture. 

[aardie]

5 year old just corrected me:  "Not THAT crinoid, Mommy.  THIS one."  Here's the one she MEANT for me to post.  

[Tidgy's Dad]

How wonderful to find such great fossils on your driveway! 

[Mark Kmiecik]

Here's a dangerous thought. I wonder what might be on the other sides of those slabs.

[aardie]

On 7/12/2020 at 5:39 PM, ClearLake said:

Very nice. The last one is definitely a fossil. At first I thought it was a straight nautiloid, but in looking closer I think it is a really big crinoid stem. Would love to see an end, but it looks like it is buried in your sidewalk. 

Thank you! I am a total amateur, but the "ridges" on this are more like an ammonite we have and less like any crinoid I've ever seen.  But, I also haven't seen any crinoids anywhere as big as this, so maybe!  Thank you!

[aardie]

On 7/12/2020 at 5:43 PM, ClearLake said:

1, 2 and 3 are trilobites as you already know. 4 looks like a strophomenid brachiopod that may be covered with bryozoan or maybe it is just the weathering, I can’t really tell from the picture. 

Interesting!  Thank you!

[aardie]

On 7/12/2020 at 5:42 PM, piranha said:

 

Gravicalymene celebra in Silurian dolomite

 

Thank you!  Very cool to put a name to them now!

[aardie]

On 7/13/2020 at 1:53 PM, Mark Kmiecik said:

Here's a dangerous thought. I wonder what might be on the other sides of those slabs.

Ha!  Yes, I accidentally wondered that out loud to my daughter after posting these the other night.  She was ready to dig them all up, but I don't think I'm quite there yet!

[grandpa]

9 minutes ago, aardie said:

She was ready to dig them all up, but I don't think I'm quite there yet!

Well, an option might be to visit the place that sold these 'paving' stones and do a "high grade" selection of some more "paving stones" to purchase.

[Kcee]

1 hour ago, grandpa said:

Well, an option might be to visit the place that sold these 'paving' stones and do a "high grade" selection of some more "paving stones" to purchase

I do agree, I'd for sure want to know where all these came from. That's crazy finding all these in your yard as paving stones, got your very own museum. Nice find indeed!!!

[Mark Kmiecik]

21 hours ago, grandpa said:

Well, an option might be to visit the place that sold these 'paving' stones and do a "high grade" selection of some more "paving stones" to purchase.

Good idea. Paving stones with fossils in them are far less expensive than buying fossils.