Pennsylvanian Coral

[TopherK]

Location: Lumpkins Fork 38.865650, -94.482044

Street Access at Bridge.

I believe this is a piece of Pennsylvanian coral.

The net like fossil a sponge?

Any idea what this is? It has a diffent texture than the rest of the piece. It reminds me of shark tooth, but I know it cant be a shark tooth from the Pennsylvanian Era.

Well anyways this was todays find... Tomorrow I will try to get it under an 8x magnification scope and get some more pictures.

[Bullsnake]

Hi, TopherK.

That is a chunk of ancient seafloor, commonly referred to as a hashplate.

It looks like your piece contains crinoid columnals (the disk shapes with the radiating grooves), bryozoans ( the stick-like objects riddled with tiny holes), and likely bits of shell from brachiopods and pelecypods (clams). There could very well be coral fragments, as well.

I sometimes find trilobite pieces in them (not common, but possible).

Carboniferous shark teeth are not out of the question, but I'm thinking the piece you've pointed out with the arrows is a crinoid spine. They have a shape like the classic shark tooth, but the preservation is different. My heart skipped a time or two when I've first glanced at them, too. Once you find a shark tooth, the difference is usually obvious, but they're kind of rare. I won't say my guess is definitive...some good, clear close-ups would help in determination.

That's a nice piece of hash, though!

Steve

[TopherK]

Thanks,

Yeah.. there is lace coral in part, its hard to see but it is there, any idea what the rice shaped items are? When I cleaned the piece they popped up like the crinoid columnals. Under the microscope they are narrow pointed at both ends and striated down the length... They remind me a seed linda like a grass seed (not saying the are just giving an example.)

[Bullsnake]

The lace coral may also be a type of bryozoan of the fenestrate type. Pretty common and typical in the K.C. Pennsylvanian.

The 'grains' are likely foraminifera called fusulinids.

I'll link some posts about these this evening...off to work now.

[Bullsnake]

Thanks,

Yeah.. there is lace coral in part, its hard to see but it is there, any idea what the rice shaped items are? When I cleaned the piece they popped up like the crinoid columnals. Under the microscope they are narrow pointed at both ends and striated down the length... They remind me a seed linda like a grass seed (not saying the are just giving an example.)

Does the 'lace coral' and 'seeds' look like any of these?

http://www.thefossilforum.com/index.php?/topic/30692-some-pennsylvanian-fusulinids/

http://www.thefossilforum.com/index.php?/topic/30643-some-pennsylvanian-bryozoans/

Edited March 27, 2015 by Bullsnake