I'm not sure what I found?

[Campbellbryce7]

This weekend while near La Plata Missouri, I was looking through a pile of rocks brought in for the driveway and I found some interesting things (at least they are to me!). But I am not sure what I am looking at, or it it is simply nothing at all. So I am wondering if anyone would be able to shed some light on what I found? If they do turn out to be something I have a few more photos to show, thank you!

 

  

  

[Lone Hunter]

First one is part of a  crinoid stem, third one looks like impression of crinoid stem, next one solitary rugose coral, and next to last also looks like crinoid, maybe holdfast? I'm no expert so could get corrected. Really neat peices!  I'm curious what the line of black dots is. 

Edited June 2, 2021 by Lone Hunter

[Rockwood]

1 - 2 Crinoid stem segment. Ligaments hold multiple columnals together long enough for short segments to fossilize in an articulated manner.

3- I believe is a horn coral that is poorly exposed. The shape is similar to some fish scales, but I doubt it is one.

4 - Stem of a smaller crinoid. Slight chance of it being a feeding arm, but it seems unlikely.

5 - Surface of a crinoid columnal. The design is related to the ligament attachment sites, and affects the flexibility of the stem.

6- Same as 3 with greater confidence.

7 - 8 Same as 1 - 2 only preserved slightly differently.

8 - Fenestrate bryozoan

9 -  Halysites Chain coral.

10 - Crionoid stem section. Sectioned longitudinally so that the columnals appear as darker blocks. 

11 - 13 Appear to be crinoid columnals.

[Campbellbryce7]

@Rockwood @Lone Hunter Thank you both for such speedy replies, and providing so many answers. But it only raises more guestions from my end. Being that what I have found is actually something, I have a few more photos that I would like opinions on, do I post those on this thread or do I create a new one? When I go back in the future, and possibly find more, is there a good source for me to use to possible identify what I am looking at? Would knowing time period make that easier? Also, do the bottom three images have some sort of classification or nomenclature I can look into, I have a few more and they are jam packed with tiny details that I am very curious about what they are and would like to look into? Once again thank you for all of the help so far!

[Rockwood]

2 hours ago, Campbellbryce7 said:

I have a few more photos that I would like opinions on, do I post those on this thread or do I create a new one?

I find it preferable to limit the number of items in each post. One needs to include as much context as possible with each because folks may not be aware of what was given in other posts however.

Driveway gravel can rarely be precisely dated. Careful study of specimens can be done to date some fossils. I am more of a generalist but these appear to be somewhere between 3 and 4 hundred million years old, Silurian - Carboniferous periods. Assuming you have a full compliment of rods and cones for seeing colors, searching geology for your area on the web should give color coded maps. These can be used to get a general idea of what materials may have been scoured away to create the gravel. Maps of glacial flow directions can be accessed as well.

The last three would likely be classified as crinoidal limestone. Demarcation of criteria for these terms isn't my strong suit though.

[Tetradium]

14 hours ago, Rockwood said:

1 - 2 Crinoid stem segment. Ligaments hold multiple columnals together long enough for short segments to fossilize in an articulated manner.

3- I believe is a horn coral that is poorly exposed. The shape is similar to some fish scales, but I doubt it is one.

4 - Stem of a smaller crinoid. Slight chance of it being a feeding arm, but it seems unlikely.

5 - Surface of a crinoid columnal. The design is related to the ligament attachment sites, and affects the flexibility of the stem.

6- Same as 3 with greater confidence.

7 - 8 Same as 1 - 2 only preserved slightly differently.

8 - Fenestrate bryozoan

9 -  Halysites Chain coral.

10 - Crionoid stem section. Sectioned longitudinally so that the columnals appear as darker blocks. 

11 - 13 Appear to be crinoid columnals.

Good Eyes!

16 hours ago, Lone Hunter said:

First one is part of a  crinoid stem, third one looks like impression of crinoid stem, next one solitary rugose coral, and next to last also looks like crinoid, maybe holdfast? I'm no expert so could get corrected. Really neat peices!  I'm curious what the line of black dots is. 

The "dotted" part is crinoid stem. Unusual way of preservation. You can see a solid column where sediments filled the hollow then the dots are side views of the crinoid columns which rotted away, leaving tiny geodes in its place.