Jump to content

unknown from franklin mountains.


splagh

Recommended Posts

at first glance it seemed molluscan but now that i've brushed dirt away it appears to be some form of coral. structure is hard to place. found in area where i've also encountered tabulate and rugosa 

22195557_1659818680718946_2255884214377885983_n.jpg

22049891_1659818714052276_8368481735774040833_n.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I trust in science that it is indeed a horn coral. 

Never seen a coin that would be out of the scale range.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Rugosan coral is certainly the correct ID, as far as it goes.  The Franklin Mountains contain rocks from several Paleozoic periods.  There is a complete section of the Ordovician Montoya Group, exposed for example along Senic Drive, and tabulate and a few rugosan corals are common at some levels.  However the only rugosans are solitary horn corals (Grewingkia, Streptelasma, Bighornia) with an internal structure that lack dissepiments (crescent-shaped structures along the outside wall).  Your specimen seems to have dissepiments (though it is hard to be absolutely certain) so I don't think it is any of the Ordovician forms.  Mississippian, Pennsylvanian, and some Permian rocks are exposed in parts of the Franklin Mountains and one of these may have been the source of your fossil.  Perhaps if you can post some photos of other fossils you have found associated with your coral we may be able to pin down an age with more confidence.

 

Don

  • I found this Informative 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I can do you a little better. I found it here 31.945747, -106.510087 (i marked it on my phone in gmaps) though it was in a (whats the word for it) rock slide consisting of different strata. 
I found this on the same hill.

20171002_225034.thumb.jpg.861c2a605600988311c3296f033f81c6.jpg

 

and this in the ravine a few dozen yards southeast. it's not very dense and likely washed in from far up.

20171002_224859.thumb.jpg.5d4509a940686d32bf0912eec5eaa0c6.jpg




 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

this is from a different trip to the same area. i found it on top of the adjacent foothill (is that what they're called) roughly here 31.942068, -106.507796 (didnt tag it at the time)

 

https://imgur.com/a/kaUgw big pictures. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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 account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...