John Franch Posted May 25, 2015 Share Posted May 25, 2015 Hi all: I found this object while exploring a site in Champaign County, Illinois. It measures approximately 1 1/4 inch by 3/4 inch. It looks like a fossilized bone, but that's probably a bit unlikely. Is it a bone, a coral or an ordinary rock? I'm sure someone in this incredibly knowledgeable community will come up with an answer. Thanks much, John Franch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted May 25, 2015 Share Posted May 25, 2015 Huh... I don't get coral or bryozoan out of it, but beyond that, I'm kind of adrift. "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...
John Franch Posted May 26, 2015 Author Share Posted May 26, 2015 Hi: Well, you're not the only one who's stumped. Whatever it is, it certainly is ugly! Thanks, John Franch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragonsfly Posted May 26, 2015 Share Posted May 26, 2015 John, In the last photo (second row, far right) I see what looks like segmentation? Gastropod? But in other pics I see tendril-like lines which bring to mind Crinoid , which are abundant in the Anna , IL. area. I also thought I saw crinoid stem segments (rings) in one of the pics. Crinus, what says you? John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Franch Posted May 27, 2015 Author Share Posted May 27, 2015 Hi: Thanks for chiming in! There are plenty of crinoid fossils on the site where I found this object, but I don't think this thing is a crinoid. At least I've never found a crinoid that looks anything like this. Those pores, easily seen in the first couple of photos, are distinctive as is that bone-like structure visible in the third photo. The object is also very light unlike the limestones that contain the crinoids. When I first spotted it, I immediately thought that it was a bone. Incidentally, this particular fossil site is the result of a road excavation and appears to contain rocks from a mishmash of geologic periods. Thanks again, John Franch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpc Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 Very weird. Definitley not a bone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abyssunder Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 interesting find " We are not separate and independent entities, but like links in a chain, and we could not by any means be what we are without those who went before us and showed us the way. " Thomas Mann My Library Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doctor Mud Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 Interesting, I would have said bone, but not "a bone" rather what's left of a bone after erosion of some sort- tumbling in water? Funny - one site looks water worn, another fractured. Water worn then fractured during excavation? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Franch Posted May 27, 2015 Author Share Posted May 27, 2015 Hi again: It's kind of like the thing in Ray Bradbury's "The Jar." Every person sees something different when they look at it! Cheers, John Franch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now