Archimedes Posted May 20, 2008 Share Posted May 20, 2008 The Blastoid, Pentremites, is fairly common in Upper Mississippian rocks of the central US, but these very large Pentremites are quite rare. Thought I would share some of my new finds with the forum. I really enjoy seeing the variety of fossils posted on this forum and am learning a lot about the vertebrates and other fossils from around the country others have posted on this the forum. It is really great, Thanks you all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gatorman Posted May 20, 2008 Share Posted May 20, 2008 Wow, I really like blastoids like that, I don't think we have any here in florida. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Archimedes Posted May 20, 2008 Author Share Posted May 20, 2008 Wow, I really like blastoids like that, I don't think we have any here in florida. I guess a few will have to just fall out of my bag on your fossil site. It would be a great find in Florida Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest solius symbiosus Posted May 20, 2008 Share Posted May 20, 2008 Wow! those are some monsters. Wow, I really like blastoids like that, I don't think we have any here in florida. They died off in the Great Dying at the end of the Paleozoic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted May 20, 2008 Share Posted May 20, 2008 Wonderful specimens, and superb photography! The details almost hurt my eyes. Do you give seminars? "There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley >Paleontology is an evolving science. >May your wonders never cease! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ashcraft Posted May 20, 2008 Share Posted May 20, 2008 Attached is a blastoid that I found, not so well preserved, or prepped, but it is in a hard matrix, which is somewhat unusual around here. Brent Ashcraft ashcraft, brent allen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest N.AL.hunter Posted May 20, 2008 Share Posted May 20, 2008 When I was a youngster, large blastoids use to show up for sale at the local Gem & Mineral yearly show. I have not seen them in years. While I can go out and find blastoids by the dozen, they are mostly less then 1/2 inch. Someday, I'll find the mother load of walnut sized ones. Nice specimens Archimedes. Anson, I'll bring some down to you this weekend. Not large ones, but nice details. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry Pristis Posted May 20, 2008 Share Posted May 20, 2008 Wow, I really like blastoids like that, I don't think we have any here in florida. Sure, Anson, some of us have blastoids here in Florida! . . . I've got a big box of matrix pieces which I excavated in Southern Illinois years ago. Back then, it was a commercial venture and a family outing, excavating blastoids to sell at fossil shows. It turned into such a grueling physical exercise -- the pick-work -- I haven't wanted to think about 'em. I could never sell 'em for enough to compensate for the labor that went into collecting 'em. That experience convinced me that diving for fossils was the path for me! I recollect that my blastoids are the smaller variety, but exquisitely preserved in mudstone. Chesterian in age, if I recall correctly. Maybe I should pull out a couple, and photograph them. -------Harry Pristis http://pristis.wix.com/the-demijohn-page What seest thou else In the dark backward and abysm of time? ---Shakespeare, The Tempest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maryland Mike Posted May 20, 2008 Share Posted May 20, 2008 Great fossils Archimedes. Thanks for sharing. Carpe Diem, Carpe Somnium Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gatorman Posted May 20, 2008 Share Posted May 20, 2008 yes Harry you should! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Archimedes Posted May 22, 2008 Author Share Posted May 22, 2008 Sure, Anson, some of us have blastoids here in Florida! . . . I've got a big box of matrix pieces which I excavated in Southern Illinois years ago. Back then, it was a commercial venture and a family outing, excavating blastoids to sell at fossil shows. It turned into such a grueling physical exercise -- the pick-work -- I haven't wanted to think about 'em. I could never sell 'em for enough to compensate for the labor that went into collecting 'em. That experience convinced me that diving for fossils was the path for me! I recollect that my blastoids are the smaller variety, but exquisitely preserved in mudstone. Chesterian in age, if I recall correctly. Maybe I should pull out a couple, and photograph them. -------Harry Pristis They are from the famous Prairie Du Long Creek Site near Floraville, Illinois???? The Blastoids from this site are some of the best preserved Blastoids, do post some of your fossil blastoids from this site We do not get to dive for fossils here but get to swim and dive in some nice blueholes around the area during the summer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Archimedes Posted May 22, 2008 Author Share Posted May 22, 2008 Wonderful specimens, and superb photography! The details almost hurt my eyes.Do you give seminars? Thank You Auspex, I hope to do better with a new lighting arrangement I will try next week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJB Posted May 22, 2008 Share Posted May 22, 2008 Yes, very nice photos. but first, what in tarnation is a blastoid? Ive seen them before but never thought about what they were? Second, I think I would enjoy prepping out a few of those in hard rock. By any chance would you have some for trade or sale? And what about you harry, are you willing to let go of a few of yours? I just love fossils that are still in the host rock and I have never prepped one of these so it would be yet another new experience for me. Thanks RB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ashcraft Posted May 22, 2008 Share Posted May 22, 2008 Blastoids were filter filters, thought to be closely related to crinoids. The blastoid in matrix photo I submitted is also chesterian age, on the other side of the river, nearly standing in it. Brent Ashcraft ashcraft, brent allen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry Pristis Posted May 22, 2008 Share Posted May 22, 2008 Yes, very nice photos. but first, what in tarnation is a blastoid? Ive seen them before but never thought about what they were? Second, I think I would enjoy prepping out a few of those in hard rock. By any chance would you have some for trade or sale? And what about you harry, are you willing to let go of a few of yours? I just love fossils that are still in the host rock and I have never prepped one of these so it would be yet another new experience for me. Thanks RB Here is something you might like, RB. This is a chunk of mudstone matrix taken not far from near Chester, Illinois (the classic locale) which has at least six blastoids on the surface. I suspect that there a few more still buried along with who-knows-what. I know that there are stems and bryozoans apparent. We were hunting for the elusive crinoid in the fauna, but didn't find it. The mudstone is fine-grained and soft, so that it would be a breeze to prep with an air-abrasive unit. I imagine a wire brush would be dusty, but would work. If you dampen it with water(I don't recommend that), you might be able to work it with a knife and a toothbrush. After I prep'ed this slab, I might consider a quick dip in a Butvar solution to darken the matrix and bring up the contrast with the pale blastoids. Thoroughly dry, this piece weighs over eight pounds, so it'll be expensive to mail very far. If you are interested, RB, -- or anyone else -- contact me with a personal message. --------Harry Pristis http://pristis.wix.com/the-demijohn-page What seest thou else In the dark backward and abysm of time? ---Shakespeare, The Tempest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paleo3303 Posted June 6, 2008 Share Posted June 6, 2008 The Blastoid, Pentremites, is fairly common in Upper Mississippian rocks of the central US, but these very large Pentremites are quite rare. Thought I would share some of my new finds with the forum. I really enjoy seeing the variety of fossils posted on this forum and am learning a lot about the vertebrates and other fossils from around the country others have posted on this the forum. It is really great, Thanks you all. Very nice blastoids, Archimedes. Large blastoids are indeed uncommon - especially with such detailed preservation. Upper Mississippian rocks (Greenbrier Big Lime) of southern West Virginia have also yielded monster 'toids'. While the WV blastoids can be difficult to prep and many have bryozoans or other hitch-hikers attached, detail is often great and the gray-blue color unusual. If I can figure out the attachment system, I will include a couple of WV blastoid scans for your review. Cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted June 6, 2008 Share Posted June 6, 2008 Hey paleo3303, those monster WV blastoids are really nice; very showy! "There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley >Paleontology is an evolving science. >May your wonders never cease! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest N.AL.hunter Posted June 6, 2008 Share Posted June 6, 2008 Paleo3303, All of these large blastoids are really getting to me. A blastoid was my very first fossil and I have been searching for large ones, but to no avail. Sometime soon!! Anyways, is the penny in the picture an added effect? To me it appears to be floating in mid air! Great photography!! The blastoids do have a very nice color to them. Can these still be found in WV, is the site accessible? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crinus Posted June 6, 2008 Share Posted June 6, 2008 Very nice blastoids, Archimedes. Large blastoids are indeed uncommon - especially with such detailed preservation. Upper Mississippian rocks (Greenbrier Big Lime) of southern West Virginia have also yielded monster 'toids'. While the WV blastoids can be difficult to prep and many have bryozoans or other hitch-hikers attached, detail is often great and the gray-blue color unusual. If I can figure out the attachment system, I will include a couple of WV blastoid scans for your review. Cheers. Paleo3303 That first blastoid looks VERY familiar to me. Is it something I prepped? Is paleo3303 sometimes called Steve?? crinus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paleo3303 Posted June 6, 2008 Share Posted June 6, 2008 Paleo3303,All of these large blastoids are really getting to me. A blastoid was my very first fossil and I have been searching for large ones, but to no avail. Sometime soon!! Anyways, is the penny in the picture an added effect? To me it appears to be floating in mid air! Great photography!! The blastoids do have a very nice color to them. Can these still be found in WV, is the site accessible? N.AL.hunter - Thanks for your response and kind words. It is always great to hear from a fellow blastoid enthusiast. The penny was included for scale rather than for a special effect. As I mentioned in my initial post, the pictures are "scans" and not digital photos. I have had good luck using my aging HP 4200 scanner to make passable 3D images of the original specimen placed on the scanner bed. Such an image capture technique does indeed seem to have the penny float in the air. Regarding the WV collecting site, I have not been there in several years but hope to make it back this year. It requires climbing and safety ropes and is not for the age or gravity-challenged individual. I will attempt to attach an additional scanned picture for your review. It starkly highlights the size contrast between "normal" size P.godoni of KY and the WV P.robustus on paleo-steroids. Cheers and happy collecting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paleo3303 Posted June 6, 2008 Share Posted June 6, 2008 Paleo3303That first blastoid looks VERY familiar to me. Is it something I prepped? Is paleo3303 sometimes called Steve?? crinus If crinus is sometimes called Joe your memory is very good. The prep work on this specimen (and many others) was superb. Hope all is well. When are you going to get back down this way for more collecting? Take care. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paleo3303 Posted June 6, 2008 Share Posted June 6, 2008 Hey paleo3303, those monster WV blastoids are really nice; very showy! Auspex - Thank you for the compliment. All credit should go to a very skilled fossil preparer in Michigan. From what I have viewed so far on this forum, there are many breathtaking fossils in member's collections and the photography is first rate. Cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Archimedes Posted June 7, 2008 Author Share Posted June 7, 2008 Thank You Paleo 3303 Enjoy seeing your Beautiful large WV Blastoids 20 years ago I traded for some large Blastoids similar to yours from a Quarry in WV It sounds like quite an adventure to find them in WV Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest N.AL.hunter Posted June 7, 2008 Share Posted June 7, 2008 My wife and I have done vertical cave work and own all our gear, two rope-walking systems ( have done several pits and cliffs up to 200 ft.). Hanging off a cliff is nothing for me if I can collect such specimens. Some day WV is a must trip for me if this site was open. Seeing the WV one against the type I find makes me cry!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crinus Posted June 7, 2008 Share Posted June 7, 2008 Thanks paleo 3303 for the compliment on my prep work. Thought you and the forum may want to see a piece from WV that is quite nice. It really took a while to prep. Like paleo3303 said, the blastoids are encrusted with a lot of bryozoa and very difficult to clean. I have put in a specimen from Millstadt on the slab for reference as paleo did in a previous post. It was a good idea and I stole it. The slab is about 18 inches across. Also is a picture of an individual specimen from the same site. It is probably the best one I have seen come out of there. I don't have a size reference in the photo but the blastoid is 2.25 inches tall and 1.75 across. I would love to come out there again and collect with you. Maybe this fall. That area would be too hot in the summer. crinus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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