Andy Craddock Posted January 1, 2021 Share Posted January 1, 2021 I’m a landscape gardener & came across this fossil in a piece of new quarried sandstone walling. I’m assuming it is some form of Calamite but what’s puzzling me is the solid form that weaved through the middle of it. The specimen is approximately 100mm long & 40mm across the stem. All opinions welcome, I’m keen on geology & fossil hunting in general but I’m no expert! Thanks, Andy 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockwood Posted January 1, 2021 Share Posted January 1, 2021 I don't believe this is a calamites pith cast. I really don't have a better suggestion though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paleoflor Posted January 1, 2021 Share Posted January 1, 2021 Nice specimen! Not sure what the longitudinal structure is, but I can say you see them more often and on a wide variety of Calamites species. Given the latter, I think it might be something taphonomic, rather than integral to the plant tissue. I imagine the hollow stems may split open longitudinally during flattening (burial under sediments). Perhaps the structure you see here is the infilling of a split-stem... That's my interpretation, anyway. Curious to see others' ideas on this! 6 Searching for green in the dark grey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Craddock Posted January 1, 2021 Author Share Posted January 1, 2021 Great insight & thoroughly plausible- thank you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobby Rico Posted January 1, 2021 Share Posted January 1, 2021 Beautiful find Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paleoflor Posted January 1, 2021 Share Posted January 1, 2021 P.S. Your specimen shows constricted nodal lines (the "segments" are a bit "barrel-shaped") and the whole structure is surrounded by a carbonized "sheath". These properties are indicative for Calamites schutzei or Calamites schutzeiformis. Might be worthwhile to compare your specimen in hand with examples of those species (see Kidston and Jongmans, 1917). 3 Searching for green in the dark grey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Craddock Posted January 1, 2021 Author Share Posted January 1, 2021 Thanks, may not be a Calamite but looking at the segmented structure I’m presuming it’s some form of plant stem. The walling stone has the occasional coal seam through it & this specimen was found in a narrow seam as the walling stone sheared in my hand along a weak fault line. The stone in question was quarried for Halifax or possibly Huddersfield- both areas are renowned gritstone quarry sites. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Craddock Posted January 1, 2021 Author Share Posted January 1, 2021 Thanks @paleoflor, will look in to it now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockwood Posted January 1, 2021 Share Posted January 1, 2021 29 minutes ago, paleoflor said: Nice specimen! Not sure what the longitudinal structure is, but I can say you see them more often and on a wide variety of Calamites species. Given the latter, I think it might be something taphonomic, rather than integral to the plant tissue. I imagine the hollow stems may split open longitudinally during flattening (burial under sediments). Perhaps the structure you see here is the infilling of a split-stem... That's my interpretation, anyway. Curious to see others' ideas on this! Is that a branch scar ? It seems misaligned with the node, which seems compressed, or somehow unusual to me. Again, taphonimic ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockwood Posted January 1, 2021 Share Posted January 1, 2021 17 minutes ago, paleoflor said: P.S. Your specimen shows constricted nodal lines (the "segments" are a bit "barrel-shaped") and the whole structure is surrounded by a carbonized "sheath". Oops. I missed this somehow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Craddock Posted January 1, 2021 Author Share Posted January 1, 2021 2 minutes ago, Rockwood said: Oops. I missed this somehow. Too irregular to be a branch scar I think, here’s a typical image of the branch scarring on calamites, seem to form radially around the stem. The split & fill theory sounds most likely, thanks everyone fir your help & insights- I’ll be keeping a keen eye on the rest of the stone batch to see if there’s a continuation of the same anywhere. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paleoflor Posted January 1, 2021 Share Posted January 1, 2021 9 minutes ago, Rockwood said: Is that a branch scar ? It seems misaligned with the node, which seems compressed, or somehow unusual to me. Again, taphonimic ? Not sure which structure you are referring to. Made a quick sketch. The blue structure is the coalified woody cylinder, the internal structure is shown in yellow. This shows the characteristic nodes and "segments" (internodes). Note they are a bit convex (barrel-shaped) here, as the nodal lines are slightly constricted. What I think is a longitudinal split/rupture of the hollow stem is shown in red. 5 Searching for green in the dark grey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockwood Posted January 1, 2021 Share Posted January 1, 2021 2 hours ago, paleoflor said: Not sure which structure you are referring to. This is the most questionable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paleoflor Posted January 1, 2021 Share Posted January 1, 2021 1 hour ago, Rockwood said: This is the most questionable. No idea what that would be... Searching for green in the dark grey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockwood Posted January 1, 2021 Share Posted January 1, 2021 21 minutes ago, paleoflor said: No idea what that would be.. Top of a Hylonomous skull would be nice. This came up in a google search, but my photos from Joggins show I was thinking of Dendrerpeton. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kato Posted January 1, 2021 Share Posted January 1, 2021 23 minutes ago, Rockwood said: Top of a Hylonomous skull would be nice. This came up in a google search, but my photos from Joggins show I was thinking of Dendrerpeton. Good sense of humor...haha. I wonder what the preservation possibilities would be relative to the calamite in what appears to be a glauconite formation. Seems they prefer the hollow portions of the plants Dendrerpeton is an extinct genus of amphibian. They are generally found associated with hollows of the Lepidodendron and Sigillaria tree genera, for which their fossils are contained within. These fossils are disarticulated and flattened providing poor specimens. In this species the stapes was used as a support structure for the ear than for hearing as in later tetropods. The specimens are generally 100 cm, large otic notch in the back of the skull. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caverat Posted January 1, 2021 Share Posted January 1, 2021 I have similar structures in some of my Calamites, see first image (light blue grid is one inch). The second image shows the carbonized sheath, but not on Calamites. Also note the somewhat gridded bark pattern at the left end. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockwood Posted January 1, 2021 Share Posted January 1, 2021 8 minutes ago, Kato said: Good sense of humor...haha. I don't see the joke. They would fit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted January 1, 2021 Share Posted January 1, 2021 I think that may be an extremely far leap, Dale. 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...
BobWill Posted January 1, 2021 Share Posted January 1, 2021 I have seen this central structure too and wondered what causes that. Also, correct me if I'm wrong but I thought the "s" was part of the name rather than the plural form. I have been pronouncing it " cal-uh-mite'-ease. " 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockwood Posted January 1, 2021 Share Posted January 1, 2021 30 minutes ago, Fossildude19 said: I think that may be an extremely far leap, Dale. And from me that surprises you ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockwood Posted January 1, 2021 Share Posted January 1, 2021 21 minutes ago, BobWill said: the "s" was part of the name rather than the plural form. Correct Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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