Trilobite, coral, urchin, something else?

[pambosk]

Hello there friends, 

 

This looks and feels like something to me. 

 

The brown material inside is flint, the white is limestone.

found on Moni beach

 

any thoughts?

 

[pambosk]

Forgot to mention size. it is sort of spherical with a max diameter of 4cm

[Rockwood]

Have you tested the limestone ? I suspect it was all brown when it was exposed to the weather.

[TqB]

It looks like a sponge - there are many similar to that in Cretaceous flint.

[Fossildude19]

I thought of banded chert when I saw this.  

[Rockwood]

1 hour ago, TqB said:

It looks like a sponge - there are many similar to that in Cretaceous flint.

That does it. I give up on identifying sponges 

[pambosk]

1 hour ago, Rockwood said:

Have you tested the limestone ? I suspect it was all brown when it was exposed to the weather.

 

How do you mean test it? The brown part is xtremely hard and very glossy, it is called flint, i believe. the white part is softer.

 

Also the brown 'rays' that seem to come out of the brown core, are very close to each other and thin at 0 degrees and become big and thick at 90 degrees, and they are pretty much the same on both sides.

 

maybe this photo helps a bit

 

and to make sure, take a 360 sequence

 

 

[Kane]

It could be mineral staining, but the glossy part seems to suggest chert.

 

To test if it is limestone, apply a bit of vinegar, and it should fizz a little as it reacts to the calcium carbonate.

[TqB]

Still looks like a piece of sponge in flint (or chert) to me. Hard to ID further but Ventriculites radiatus is an example of the kind of thing.

 

(From: http://www.kreidemuseum.de/schwaemme_porifera_252.html )

 

 

[pambosk]

3 hours ago, Kane said:

It could be mineral staining, but the glossy part seems to suggest chert.

 

To test if it is limestone, apply a bit of vinegar, and it should fizz a little as it reacts to the calcium carbonate.

 

 

nop not any fizz there, it stood there when spread a bit, it got absorbed.  After experimenting with various lights and angles, I also realized that the "rays" all around that appear dark brown, even darker than the core are actually orange translucent, almost transparent and seem to be merging in the darker middle, which is definitely not transparent whatsoever, just glossy. because even on the side without rays or white material, they still appear.

 

photos below: the blue color is just a light source effect

 

 

[Innocentx]

Since this was found on the beach I expect it could be from most anywhere in the region or further (washed up, human transport, dumped ballast, etc.).  It keeps reminding me of mammoth tooth, though surely it's not.  Too small, right?

[Rockwood]

I don't think 4 cm is out of the size range for a juvenile. The texture is what takes it out of the running. 

[pambosk]

Besides there were no mammoths here at any time, only pygmy elephants and pygmy hippos, probably an island effect.  Sadly went extincted 30k years ago, when humans appeared;

 

Tho i think there is still space for new discoveries on this island.. i mean if pygmy this and that were there, why not another 200-300 mammal species or more even?

[pambosk]

i saw this online today

https://www.fossilera.com/fossils/12-5-placenticeras-ammonite-with-phragmacone

and reminded me of this topic

[Innocentx]

@pambosk I see what you're saying, and it might account for certain other features, as well. The chert where I live can also be translucent where it's thin, and also has an outer 'rind' of, or can be embedded in, opaline silica (no vinegar fizz).

 

[abyssunder]

I would go with dissipative patterns as secondary overgrowth on chert nodule, in weathered condition.