Crinoid cup?

[Kato]

Trying to find alternative ways into a remote spot that I call "Bucket of Crinoids". I could conservatively guess billions of bits of crinoids stems but never any calyxes for some mysterious reason.

 

Until today. Maybe. Although this is tiny and split by geologic forces it appears to be a crinoid cup view of a small calyx. As I've never actually found a cup before I would appreciate some guiding thoughts.

 

Diameter would be 15mm maximum.

 

[FossilDAWG]

I agree it is a calyx, or at least the base of one.  You can see the pentameric symmetry (5 basal plates).

 

Don

[minnbuckeye]

Congratulations on the calyx!!! Next step, a complete articulated one!!!  

 

Mike

[Caverat]

You may be searching in a high energy deposition deposit, hence the fragmented remains. Keep on looking!

[Kato]

40 minutes ago, Caverat said:

You may be searching in a high energy deposition deposit, hence the fragmented remains. Keep on looking!

High energy. It looks like a gazillion ninja blenders went crazy on the seabed!  The formation here looks to be almost 90% crinoids. I failed to take photos but many parts of the area I visited were many inches if not feet deep in crinoid segments, horn coral and brachiopods

[FossilNerd]

12 hours ago, Kato said:

High energy. It looks like a gazillion ninja blenders went crazy on the seabed!  The formation here looks to be almost 90% crinoids. I failed to take photos but many parts of the area I visited were many inches if not feet deep in crinoid segments, horn coral and brachiopods

There is a similar exposure in my area of the Borden Formation. Sections of the fossiliferous layer are over a meter thick of nothing but crinoid bits and pieces. 

 

By the way... Nice crinoid calyx!  

[Kato]

15 minutes ago, FossilNerd said:

There is a similar exposure in my area of the Borden Formation. Sections of the fossiliferous layer are over a meter thick of nothing but crinoid bits and pieces. 

 

By the way... Nice crinoid calyx!  

@FossilNerd

 

The fossiliferous encrinite formations at this location are many meters thick.  Perhaps several dozens of meters. This particular location is just very poorly cemented together. The debris field is actually what I poorly described in my initial comments. If you had a shovel you could fill buckets with ease.

[Kato]

Took my wife back out there today. I must be getting better at finding the little things. Still not great ones but at least my brain is tuned to find them as I found 3 and a nice holdfast

 

 

@FossilDAWG  @FossilNerd

 

At least I think this one, albeit broken.  30 mm in diameter.

 

 

 

A small one, perhaps 10mm in diameter

 

 

A weathered one floating out in the crinoid debris field. 25mm in diameter

 

 

 

This sure looks like what I think a holdfast should look like. Would appreciate a more accurate suggestion if I'm wrong.

 

[FossilDAWG]

All your calyxes really are calyxes!  Congratulations!

 

I'm a little envious of the geological variety you have in your back yard.

 

Don

[Kato]

20 minutes ago, FossilDAWG said:

All your calyxes really are calyxes!  Congratulations!

 

I'm a little envious of the geological variety you have in your back yard.

 

Don

Thanks Don! 

[Earendil]

1 hour ago, Kato said:

At least I think this one, albeit broken.  30 mm in diameter.

 

Nice brach in the corner!

[Kato]

19 minutes ago, yardrockpaleo said:

Nice brach in the corner!

@yardrockpaleo

 

Looks like a little horn coral snuck into the photo at the bottom as well.

[Incognito Rockhound]

Wow - that is incredible!  I’ve never seen a concentration of crinoids like that before!