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Just A Little Ring


Malcolmt

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Just a quick post because this is somewhat of a rarity. About three weeks ago I was hunting fossils in my favorite Ordovician location up here in Ontario Canada with a few friends including Northern Sharks and I found my first ever cyclocystoid. I cannot tell you how many 1000s of crinoid stems I have thought for a split second might be a cyclocystoid or edrioastroid. Finally picked up the real thing...... not an imposter. The segmentation in the ring is the giveaway.

This one is in quite a good state of preservation and has had an initial prep under the scope with air abrasion. (40 micron dolomite 22 PSI and .018 nozzle). I may still clean up the center a bit more at a lower PSI and use finer abrasive (22 micron and a smaller nozzle .010) . The fossil is 14mm across. I have not seen one of these found at that locality in person but am aware of two other specimens. One of the other specimens was slightly smaller than this one.

A very experienced collector at that site indicated that this was one of the rarest fossils to come out of that location. I am quite pleased with it and it will become part of my personal collection as this is a new species for me at that location.

post-4886-0-83258800-1409195979_thumb.jpg

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Wow, that one is really in a great state of preservation. You can clearly see the outer ring of small plates, and the structure of the central region. Generally you're lucky to just get the main ring of larger plates. That one is a real prize!

Don

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Congratulation on finding such a nicely preserved specimen of an extremely rare fossil!

"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!

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I saw that sale on eBay, it is in fact the slightly smaller specimen that I mention in my post.

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Actually I know the seller of that fossil on eBay quite well and he is very knowledgeable about the invertebrate species from the Ordovician of Ontario, Canada. His post on eBay says trilobite / crinoid age. He generally describes things that way as people put trilobite and crinoid in their eBay searches so he comes up more often in their results that way. It clearly states that it is a cyclosystoid "Up for bid is the rare echinoderm cyclosystites". He sells quality fossils , nicely prepped which are always clearly described. He did well on this auction, he generally has no reserve and the price ends up where it ends up. I have seen him get $9.99 for trilobites and echinoderms that should have gone for well over a $100, but that is the chance you take when you put something up for a no reserve auction.

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Very nice! Another one crossed off the ol' bucket list. Congrats!

~Charlie~

"There are those that look at things the way they are, and ask why.....i dream of things that never were, and ask why not?" ~RFK
->Get your Mosasaur print
->How to spot a fake Trilobite
->How to identify a CONCRETION from a DINOSAUR EGG

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What a beautiful ring. Cyclosystoids are forever. (Who needs diamonds?)

Start the day with a smile and get it over with.

 

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On 8/28/2014 at 8:05 AM, Malcolmt said:

...It clearly states that it is a cyclosystoid "Up for bid is the rare echinoderm cyclosystites"...

 

 

That pricey auction listing is incorrect in any event, 'Cyclocystites' has never been a valid genus in the Cyclocystoididae. The correct genus is Cyclocystoides. The definitive work on these incredible echinoderms is this 100+ page monograph. Please send me a PM and I'll be happy to send it for you.

 

Smith, A.B., & Paul, C.R.C. (1982)

Revision of the class Cyclocystoidea (Echinodermata).

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences, 296:577-679

 

Congrats on finding such a spectacular example! :fistbump:

 

 

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Wow! Outstanding specimen to find and what superb preservation. Was this from the new digging or down below? I gotta get back up there, hopefully in late September. Your prep work is outstanding as well, nicely done Mr. Malcolm. :)

-Dave

__________________________________________________

Geologists on the whole are inconsistent drivers. When a roadcut presents itself, they tend to lurch and weave. To them, the roadcut is a portal, a fragment of a regional story, a proscenium arch that leads their imaginations into the earth and through the surrounding terrain. - John McPhee

If I'm going to drive safely, I can't do geology. - John McPhee

Check out my Blog for more fossils I've found: http://viewsofthemahantango.blogspot.com/

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Dave, it was found in the bottom of the pit. The top area we were hunting last season is pretty picked over. We are eagerly waiting some new blasting in the top section.

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Dave, it was found in the bottom of the pit. The top area we were hunting last season is pretty picked over. We are eagerly waiting some new blasting in the top section.

Man, that is two really nice Echinoderms that you've found at the bottom of the pit. No wonder Jabali likes it there.

-Dave

__________________________________________________

Geologists on the whole are inconsistent drivers. When a roadcut presents itself, they tend to lurch and weave. To them, the roadcut is a portal, a fragment of a regional story, a proscenium arch that leads their imaginations into the earth and through the surrounding terrain. - John McPhee

If I'm going to drive safely, I can't do geology. - John McPhee

Check out my Blog for more fossils I've found: http://viewsofthemahantango.blogspot.com/

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Cool fossil. That's something I'd not heard of before. Beautiful....

I'll second that. This creature is also new to me. Congratulations on a great find!

 

Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger

http://www.steinkern.de/

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Hey Malcomt

Wow like everyone else has said, that is one beautiful example of those guys. I've seen a few from up there over the years and I can say that is the best. I haven't collected up there since the two main local quarries closed to collectors some years ago. I really miss it even if it was a long trip from down here. I take it came from the Dick quarry? Way to go.

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