Adam's Ordovician.

[Tidgy's Dad]

3 minutes ago, ynot said:

I think they look nice regardless of what genus or species they are.

Thank you. 

The little ones are a bit iffy, but these big ones, which we seem to agree are Colpocoryphe grandis are superb! 

[DatFossilBoy]

Really nice pieces!

I only have 1 Ordovician fossil and it is a trilobite. Hopefully I can get a bit more.

Thanks for sharing.  

Regards 

[piranha]

43 minutes ago, Tidgy's Dad said:

Ok, thank you. 

So, not just the one. 

Do you have papers on the others or their localities, please? 

 

 

Colpocoryphe localities listed stratigraphically:

 

Tazzarine des Aït-Atta, 
Ichene-n'bou-Kerzia
Tarhbalt (Maïder)
S & W of Taouz

Guezzart

Bou Zeroual

Taddrist

Tachilla
Bou-R'bia, Zagora

Fezouata Shales (upper)

[Tidgy's Dad]

3 minutes ago, piranha said:

 

 

Colpocoryphe localities listed stratigraphically:

 

Tazzarine des Aït-Atta, 
Ichene-n'bou-Kerzia,
Tarhbalt (Maïder)
S & W of Taouz

Guezzart

Bou Zeroual

Taddrist

Tachilla
Bou-R'bia, Zagora

Fezouata Shales (upper)

Thank you.

And I could add a couple more, but no papers of those other species, their stratigraphic ranges or which are found where?

Morphological differences? 

Sorry to bother you, but this is obviously of interest to me as there are thousands of Colpocoryphe about and it would be very useful to know. 

Indeed here's another one:

 

[piranha]

PM sent.

[Tidgy's Dad]

Colpocoryphe grandis. (probably) 

Fully enrolled. 

This one's a monster - 13 cm from tip to tip with a little gap of 1.4 cm between the two ends. 

 

 

 

[Ludwigia]

That really is a monster!

[Tidgy's Dad]

And these are more from my Secret Santa; the Upper Ordovician Isorthoceras sociale from the road cutting at Graf, Iowa where they can be found by the thousand. 

I did a little bit of cleaning on the one and i think they're beautiful, outside of the shell and the other is an internal cast showing the chambers nicely.This one also has the siphuncle visible. 

 

[Jaimin013]

Very nice fossils. Thanks for sharing!

[Tidgy's Dad]

On 3/20/2018 at 5:08 PM, Jaimin013 said:

Very nice fossils. Thanks for sharing!

Thanks for looking! 

The next batch are from the Hirnantian Fauna of Coniston, Cumbria, England. The Hirnantian was the very last part of the Ordovician and life was getting tough with a global drop in temperatures as the massive extinction event approached with a short bit catastrophic ice age. 

First up is one I was very, very pleased with 30 odd years ago when I found it. A solitary rugose coral Streptelasma aequisulcatum, 8 mm in diameter. I foolishly coated it in some sort of varnish as it was a bit crumbly and i wanted to emphasize the septa. But I still love it :

[Bobby Rico]

On 20/03/2018 at 8:58 PM, Tidgy's Dad said:

and i think they're beautiful

Me too beautiful specimen.

[Tidgy's Dad]

On 3/22/2018 at 9:42 PM, Bobby Rico said:

Me too beautiful specimen.

Thanks Bobby! 

Now it's s time for a bryozoan from the same location as the coral above.

I think this is Pachydictya sp. 

The block is 11 cm at it's longest and the bryozoan 6.5 cm long from one to to the other.

And a cross-section through another specimen of the same, The fossil part is about 2 cm long.

Rather pretty. 

 

[indominus rex]

You have a great Ordovician collection, well done.

[Tidgy's Dad]

On 3/24/2018 at 4:56 AM, indominus rex said:

You have a great Ordovician collection, well done.

Thanks! 

Next up is one I put up in the Fossil ID thread and have had an amazing response from members making suggestions and so I have decided this is cf. Monotrypa, a bryozoan from the same locality and formation, the Ashgill Shales, Hirnantian, Upper Ordovician, as the two above. 

Here it is :

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

Here is a small (3 mm long) Tentaculitid from the same formation and location. 

It may be Cornulites sp as that's listed from here, but I really have no idea. 

It's only a mold and not very good, but despite years of searching in places where they should be, it's the only one I've ever found. 

 

[Malone]

On 11/3/2017 at 7:58 AM, Tidgy's Dad said:

That's a cool one!

[Tidgy's Dad]

3 minutes ago, Malone said:

That's a cool one!

Thanks, but the spines are faked, added on to a genuine body. 

[Malone]

3 minutes ago, Tidgy's Dad said:

Thanks, but the spines are faked, added on to a genuine body. 

That's disappointing. Was the creature like that though? I mean was that the original shape or the creature? And even so it's still cool!

[Tidgy's Dad]

Just now, Malone said:

That's disappointing. Was the creature like that though?

Yes, this is how Ampyx looked, but they are very rarely found complete so the Moroccans add the missing spines to help sell them. 

The main error here is that the anterior spine should be attached to the glabella and not to the anterior margin, a dead giveaway once you know about the genus.  

[Tidgy's Dad]

Next up, some brachiopods , also from the Old Man of Coniston and the Hirnantian of the Upper Ordovician. Ashgill shales like the bryozoans and the coral. 

I'm very fond of brachiopods at the moment. 

So here is the orthid Nicolella actoniae.

Width of valve: 8 mm

 

[Pagurus]

I've enjoyed seeing your collection, Adam. I hope you will continue posting your ordovician treasures.

[Tidgy's Dad]

22 hours ago, Pagurus said:

I've enjoyed seeing your collection, Adam. I hope you will continue posting your ordovician treasures.

Thank you for your kind remark. 

I will continue with another orthid brachiopod from the same site and bed.

This is Dalmenella testudinaria, a species that evolved to live in colder waters like many at this time, but unlike most, did survive the terrible glaciation and huge extinction that occured at the end of the Hirnantian. 

Very pretty and 1.2 cm wide.

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

Another survivor, another orthid, this time Hirnantia sagittifera, the most commonly found species in the Ashgill from this location. At least on my visit all those years ago.

This one 3 cm across.

And this one 2.5 cm wide.

And this one 2 cm

[Tidgy's Dad]

And another brachiopod from the same place, this time a fairly early athyrid, Hindella crassa incipiens. 

Hmmm, I'll have to do some more photos, those are terrible. 

[Bobby Rico]

This little beauties is a winner . Btw are you using like me a camera on a phone.