A Nice Surprise!

[FossilDAWG]

Usually I go with a paleontology class to a quarry in Alabama, where the Mississippian (Lower Carboniferous) Bangor Formation limestone is quarried for cement.  The upper layers are too shale and silica rich for cement, so they are stripped and piled to the side.  This material is what we are allowed to search.

 

The last time we went (March 2019, no 2020 trip due to Covid-19) I brought back a small crinoid calyx that was showing on the side of a piece of rock.  The rock seemed pretty solid and my experience has been that if there is more to the crinoid, forcing a split tends to break through the fossil.  So, I put the rock on my back deck and forgot about it.

 

A couple of days ago I was cleaning up and noticed the rock, and also noticed that a year and a bit of exposure to the Georgia weather had caused the rock to split.  I lifted the top off and found this very nice surprise!  The only prep it has received is cleaning with a tooth brush.

 

Nice to find something, as I have not been out collecting since November.

 

Before:

 

After:

 

Phanocrinus bellulus

crown 4.6 cm.

 

Don

[Malcolmt]

Nice surprise

[Tidgy's Dad]

Result. 

That's awesome. 

[RuMert]

Fantastic: the fossil itself, that it was indeed complete and that it didn't need preparation. It's like winning a lottery

[Ludwigia]

Now that is a VERY nice surprise.

[PaleoNoel]

Wonderful surprise! Congratulations!