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Fossil From A Silurian Reef, Gotland Sweden


John Bucher

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On a recent trip to the East coast of Gotland, Sweden (an island in the Baltic Sea) I found an alluring piece of limestone with a fossil protuding from one side. The island of Gotland is made of limestone from "a Silurian reef". I have attached a photo of the section of the fossil that caught my eye...!

A geologist at work suggested that it may be an Orthoceras, but I now think it may be a Trilobite, what do you think?

Thanks for any opinions!

post-18923-0-99018300-1436195885_thumb.jpg

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I agree with Roger - orthocone cephalopod.

Regards,

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I think you could 'open it up' and remove all doubt. :)

"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'm very tempted to split it open, though it has an alluring nature as-is! I'll keep you posted!

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As i can see in the picture (but I'm not convinced), in the left side of the top could be a trilobite (or two).

" 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. "

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This is definitely an orthoconic nautiloid. The proportionally large size of the siphuncle and the small size of the cameral chambers suggests an actinocerid or armenocerid, possibly something along the lines of Huronia. I admit I'm not very familiar with the Gotland genera of cephalopods, I know the brachiopods and corals better. I see nothing that suggests a trilobite in the photo.

Don

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looks like the pleural sections of a trilobite from the side to me.

"Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence"_ Carl Sagen

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I agree 100% it's an orthoconic cephalopod. Here's a list of the Silurian cephalopods from Gotland:

 

Ascoceras bohemicum
Ascoceras cochleatum
Ascoceras cucumis
Ascoceras decipiens
Ascoceras fistula
Ascoceras gradatum
Ascoceras lagena
Ascoceras manubrium
Ascoceras pupa
Ascoceras reticulatum
Ascoceras sipho
Choanoceras mutabile
Dawsonoceras annulatum
Glossoceras gracile
Gomphopceras sp.
Ophidioceras reticulatum
Ophidioceras rota
Orthoceras sp.
Phragmoceras inflexum
Phragmoceras praecurvum
 
Manten, A.A. (1971)
Silurian reefs of Gotland: typology, palaeoecology and stratigraphical implications.
Developments in Sedimentology, Elsevier Scientific Publishing, 13:1-539
 
 
 

image.png.a84de26dad44fb03836a743755df237c.png

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It's a cephalopod alright. Yeah it would be wonderful if the thing could be freed from its matrix. ^_^

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I just wanted to add it's a beautiful find and you found it in a beautiful place. Great work!

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