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Possible coral found at Etobicoke Creek


Monica

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Hello everyone!

 

I went out to my local haunt this past weekend, hoping to find a trilobite, and instead I found another specimen that I had not found up until this point - a coral!  It was found at Etobicoke Creek, Georgian Bay Formation, Upper Ordovician.  I'm thinking that it is a solitary rugose coral - confirmation of this, or a correction if I'm incorrect, would be greatly appreciated!  Here are two pictures of the 5cm X 2.5cm specimen:

 

Etobicoke Creek Fossil 10a.JPG Etobicoke Creek Fossil 10b.JPG

 

By the way, would it be possible to identify the specimen down to genus or even species, or (a) is it too difficult to fully identify rugose corals without taking sections, or (b) is my particular specimen too squished to be able to identify it any further?

 

Thanks for your help!

 

Monica

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You found one for the collection! :yay-smiley-1:

Yes, it is indeed a rugose coral. They can be very challenging to ID without sections or a very well preserved calyx. However, maybe someone around here has the magic Ordovician coral touch to ID it in a flash!

...How to Philosophize with a Hammer

 

 

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Not as familiar with the solitary corals of that part of the Upper Ordovician. But south of you in the Cincinnati region there is a very limited list to choose from. probably time to do some research and develop a faunal list for your area and formations.

 

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Although a bit dated, this might help: Foerste, A. F., 1924, Upper Ordovician faunas of Ontario and Quebec: Canada.

 

A link to the PDF: http://ftp.geogratis.gc.ca/pub/nrcan_rncan/publications/ess_sst/100/100856/me_138.pdf

 

(I'd pay attention to the brief section on "west of Toronto, around pp 52-54 + the plates). I can hunt around my institutional library reserves for something more recent.

...How to Philosophize with a Hammer

 

 

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http://www.thefossilforum.com/applications/core/interface/file/attachment.php?id=357046

 

ecophenotypy,lack of space/crowding,diagenesis,growth stage and intraspecific variation can conspire to make identification difficult

I don't know if to many people realize this,but the corallites of the same corallum can be different to such a degree that,if they were found separately,they would be assigned to different species(Lonsdaleia come to mind)

 

 

 

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Hello all!

 

Thanks for all of your input!  And I'm glad to have finally found a local rugose coral - hooray! :yay-smiley-1:

I plan on heading out to my local spot this-coming Sunday with my daughter Viola and my friend and her son - maybe the kids will be able to find a trilobite for me...here's hoping... :)

 

Monica

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