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Identification please

IsaacMT

By IsaacMT
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Fossildude19 Regular Member

Fossildude19

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Welcome to the Forum. :) 

I've merged your topics. One will do the trick. ;) 

You can add new pictures by going to the bottom of the page, and replying there. 

Please provide end views of both sides.

Where was this found?

Regards, 

    Tim    -  VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER

   MOTM.png.61350469b02f439fd4d5d77c2c69da85.png      PaleoPartner.png.30c01982e09b0cc0b7d9d6a7a21f56c6.png.a600039856933851eeea617ca3f2d15f.png     Postmaster1.jpg.900efa599049929531fa81981f028e24.jpg    VFOTM.png.f1b09c78bf88298b009b0da14ef44cf0.png  VFOTM  --- APRIL - 2015  

__________________________________________________
"In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks."
John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~   ><))))( *>  About Me      

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IsaacMT Newbie

IsaacMT

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I've added pictures of the smoother side of the object and a view from the top. I found this fossil lying on top of a rubble wall when I was younger. Malta has a lot of sedimentary rock, if that helps. 

 

Thanks in advance!

20161030_225809.jpg

20161030_225750.jpg

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Monica Regular Member

Monica

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Hi IsaacMT!

 

Perhaps you have a crinoid stem with a lumen that's been filled in with sediment - I've circled what might be the in-filled lumen in the picture below:

 

20161030_225809.thumb.jpg.fa86fac80cd78973e1e6ae265b386e86.jpg

 

It does look a bit wierd, though - I've never seen a crinoid stem that looks like it's been covered in a glaze-like material - let's see what others think...

 

Monica

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Fossildude19 Regular Member

Fossildude19

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Hmm. Not seeing the normal columnal separation that you would expect from crinoid. 

Wondering if it isn't some sort of shell or something. :headscratch:

 

  • I found this Informative 1

    Tim    -  VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER

   MOTM.png.61350469b02f439fd4d5d77c2c69da85.png      PaleoPartner.png.30c01982e09b0cc0b7d9d6a7a21f56c6.png.a600039856933851eeea617ca3f2d15f.png     Postmaster1.jpg.900efa599049929531fa81981f028e24.jpg    VFOTM.png.f1b09c78bf88298b009b0da14ef44cf0.png  VFOTM  --- APRIL - 2015  

__________________________________________________
"In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks."
John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~   ><))))( *>  About Me      

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Fossildude19 Regular Member

Fossildude19

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I was leaning more towards infilled burrow?

 

    Tim    -  VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER

   MOTM.png.61350469b02f439fd4d5d77c2c69da85.png      PaleoPartner.png.30c01982e09b0cc0b7d9d6a7a21f56c6.png.a600039856933851eeea617ca3f2d15f.png     Postmaster1.jpg.900efa599049929531fa81981f028e24.jpg    VFOTM.png.f1b09c78bf88298b009b0da14ef44cf0.png  VFOTM  --- APRIL - 2015  

__________________________________________________
"In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks."
John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~   ><))))( *>  About Me      

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Stingray Regular Member

Stingray

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Hi IsaacMT,

          Welcome to the forum, at fist look I also thought Crinoid however the end view is not what I expected to see. I'm I the man made group maybe a part of the handle of a pitcher or large mug. Just my opinion others will chime in I'm sure... 

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JohnJ Regular Member

JohnJ

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If you can get better images of the end view, it may help an ID.  There appears to be some structure to the outer margins on the end view.  Is it possible to do any extra cleaning with a soft brush and alcohol, or water?

The human mind has the ability to believe anything is true.  -  JJ

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IsaacMT Newbie

IsaacMT

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Hi everyone, thanks for your replies. It seems rather unlikely that it is man made. I've always thought it was some sort of shell since it seems to be "glazed", as Monica described. As to the exact location where it came from, Im afraid thats dificult to determine, as it most likely got seperated from some soil we had bought ages ago. It has been suggested elsewhere that it might have been some sort of burrow, as fossildude19 described, but cleaning it is rather impossible as it is as solid as concrete.

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Fossildude19 Regular Member

Fossildude19

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This thread has a similar fossil - Giant shipworm. 

Good ID, Supertramp and Doushantuo! :) 

Regards,

    Tim    -  VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER

   MOTM.png.61350469b02f439fd4d5d77c2c69da85.png      PaleoPartner.png.30c01982e09b0cc0b7d9d6a7a21f56c6.png.a600039856933851eeea617ca3f2d15f.png     Postmaster1.jpg.900efa599049929531fa81981f028e24.jpg    VFOTM.png.f1b09c78bf88298b009b0da14ef44cf0.png  VFOTM  --- APRIL - 2015  

__________________________________________________
"In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks."
John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~   ><))))( *>  About Me      

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tmaier Regular Member

tmaier

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I'm not sure what a "ship worm" is, but I'm on board with it being the infill of a tube worm burrow. The texture of it very much is distinctive of tube worm. I used to keep different species in aquarium.

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doushantuo Regular Member

doushantuo

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a shipworm is,of course,a mollusc(bivalve).

The cavity- exacavating-and- dwelling mode of life has led to some modifications of the basic bivalve "bauplan".

Some excavate through chemical means,other use shape and sculpture of the shell,or combine the two.

Various soft parts change as well(sipho elongation)

  • I found this Informative 1

 

 

 

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tmaier Regular Member

tmaier

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Oops, yes, the "shipworm" is actually not a worm at all, it is a bivalve. What I was suggesting is that it might be the infill of the burrow of a true annelid.

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doushantuo Regular Member

doushantuo

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Doesn't look like your standard backfill,though

Not to mention the fact that Kuphus is widespread on Malta

  • I found this Informative 1

 

 

 

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tmaier Regular Member

tmaier

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Unfortunately, I'm bandwidth impaired, and can't download some of these references you have linked to.

My arguement is that the Kuphus created a secreted shell with a thickness to it, and this item seems to have no such shell. It seems to to purely a cast. Could be a cast of the interior of the shell, but I'm thinking that it is the cast of the burrow of a real tube worm. The real tube worms make a very thin, almost paper-like shell, similiar to what is seen here.

Also the wrinkled texture of it reminds me of the tube home of the tube worms.

After the tube worm dies, a very thin tube is left, and it fills up with sediment as the worm decays away.







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tmaier Regular Member

tmaier

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Maybe the outer shell is thicker than I am actually seeing in these photos. If it is thick, then I would more believe it is the the shell of Kuphus.

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IsaacMT Newbie

IsaacMT

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Thanks again for all your replies. I wouldnt necessarily describe the shell as being very thin. As can be seen in the attached picture, it seems that the shell has a number of layers. 

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