ADAM'S SILURIAN

[Tidgy's Dad]

Back to my 1983 field trip to Hobbs Quarry again now. 

This is a lovely specimen of the encrusting favositid coral Thecia expatiata , or Thecia (Thecia) expatiata also often referred to as Thecia swinderniana. 

It is 6.5 cm long, 5.5 cm wide and 1.2 cm high at the most , but it tapers to wafer thin on the other side.

Squashed on top of it is a brachiopod, possibly Isorthis (?) and rather wonderfully, growing on the underside is a colony of the bryozoan Fistulipora. More about these two extras at a later date, though I have seen Fistulipora growing on the underside of Thecia elsewhere and I think it's rather amazing that this bryozoan seems to have 'enjoyed' a protected life encrusting the tiny gap under another encrusting organism.  

   

And could that be an echinoderm holdfast to the bottom centre on that last photo? If so it is attached to the same gap that the bryozoa is growing in and the stem maybe came through the groove to the South East of it and then grew up toward the surface? 

Looking closely, I think I see another couple of the 'holdfasts' Protection under the coral? Or maybe the coral was flipped and the echinoderms anchored to the fresh surface? 

Interesting. 

[Tidgy's Dad]

I recently was sent another couple of little pieces of Thecia, again by kindly Candace @thelivingdead531

The septa seem fewer and a little weaker, so this may possibly be the species T.grayana. But I expect it's really still T.expatiata. 

They're much darker than my piece specimen too, though that's just preservation, of course, the Wren's Nest fossils are often preserved darker grey or brown compared to the more light grey and yellow of the fossils from further south, but this is not always the case.

The larger piece is 2.4 cm long and 1.8 cm at it's widest and 4 mm high at it's maximum, tapering away to paper thin.

The smaller piece is 1.9 x 1.4 cm x 6 mm.  

Detail of the larger piece.

And the underside of this. 

 

With more details of bryozoa bits preserved with the specimen.  

And the underside of the smaller piece showing, once again, the epibiont Fistulipora along with other bits. 

Thanks again, Candace! 

 

 

 

[thelivingdead531]

Those pieces look amazing since you cleaned them up, Adam!  I really need to sit down and clean mine up too. What did you use to clean them up with? The matrix is pretty hard on these, so I’m guessing it took a lot of patience. 

[Tidgy's Dad]

1 hour ago, thelivingdead531 said:

Those pieces look amazing since you cleaned them up, Adam!  I really need to sit down and clean mine up too. What did you use to clean them up with? The matrix is pretty hard on these, so I’m guessing it took a lot of patience. 

Just a pin vice and a hard toothbrush! 

I could have done a lot more with some of them, but I just don't have the time. 

Only a few minutes on each one, really. 

[thelivingdead531]

17 minutes ago, Tidgy's Dad said:

Just a pin vice and a hard toothbrush! 

I could have done a lot more with some of them, but I just don't have the time. 

Only a few minutes on each one, really. 

Just a few minutes, you say? Hmm, I’m sure I could find the time to clean up some of my pieces then. Thanks for sharing! 

[Tidgy's Dad]

Another tabulate coral I found during my visit to Hobbs Quarry was Heliolites interstinctus. 

This is a classic small domed colony which appears to have another couple of smaller colonies growing on it as epibionts! 

It is 5.4 cm long, a maximum of 3.2 cm wide and 3.2 cm high, excluding the little bubble colonies. (one of which looks like it could be a Favositid on closer inspection) 

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

And one of the same species from Wren's Nest, Dudley with thanks once again to @JohnBrewer

This one is 5.7 cm x 5 cm x 3.2 cm

[Tidgy's Dad]

Another Heliolites from my 80's trip to Hobbs Quarry. 

This is a much bigger specimen and only part of the colony. It measures 9.5 cm by 7 cm by 6 cm high. 

But it's corallites are spaced relatively closer together than H. interstinctus and have a much more raised circle around each one. So, I think this is a different species, namely Heliolites megastoma. 

It seems to have been trying to form a circular colony, but the specimen is broken on the right hand side in the picture below, but the left hand side is not broken, but seems to show restricted growth, perhaps it was damaged in life and then started to grow over the break again.

Here is the broken side showing internal structure :

 

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

And a close up :

And the 'deformed side :

[Bobby Rico]

Very nice and I have just gone back thought this thread very enjoyable. Some nice and interesting specimens. Have you prepped them with your pin vice.?Thanks Mate

[Tidgy's Dad]

4 minutes ago, Bobby Rico said:

Very nice and I have just gone back thought this thread very enjoyable. Some nice and interesting specimens. Have you prepped them with your pin vice.?Thanks Mate

Which ones do you mean? 

Some of them have no prepping, some using my old board pins, some with a stiff toothbrush, some with water and a nailbrush etc. 

Glad you are enjoying the thread, my friend. 

Lots more to go.

[Tidgy's Dad]

Another favositid, this one from another different family, the encrusting Alveolites labechi, from Wren's Nest, Dudley, again sent to me by the jocular @JohnBrewer

I've cleaned it up a bit but this is a truly stunning specimen, I think. 

Thanks, John! 

It is 5.5 by 5 cm and about 2 deep from outer rim to base.

Top surface.

Underneath.

Side view. So many of these corals grew up from a point and fanned or dome outwards giving spaces underneath for other species to grow on, live in or seek protection and shelter, just like in a modern reef! 

Details of the upper surface :

And the lower surface details :

Just beautiful. 

[Tidgy's Dad]

And a branching heliolitid, this one from Candace again @thelivingdead531

Wren's Nest, Dudley, Wenlock Limestone. 

It's Stelliporella parvistella , is 2.5 cm long,  1.2 cm wide and 1.3 cm across at the top, widening from 0.7 cm at the base.  

[Tidgy's Dad]

Thanks to my friends @Bobby Ricoand  @doushantuo

Glad to see you're watching at least some of this. 

It's very hard to compete with all these threads of teeth and dinosaurs! 

My corals deserve some respect. 

So, here's another one.

Again, a tabulate favositid, this one an interesting one that has triangular shaped corallites : Coenites juniperinus. 

Wenlock limestone,Wren's Nest, Dudley, specimens from both @JohnBrewer and @thelivingdead531

Thanks , guys! 

Interesting that I have none from collections further south. 

 

 

Look for the interesting triangular shapes of the calices.

 

[Bobby Rico]

Hi Adam you know me I like the big stuff and the little. I think when looking through your threads I really like that you collated them in a geological timeline it makes it a more complete view.  I do really like the material that comes from Warn’s Nest too.

[doushantuo]

To explore Silurian UK fossils with a Welshman*(transported, but still..) is a rare(-ified) pleasure.

I share Adam's and Tarq's fascination with Paleozoic corals.

* Wales has given us Rhod Gilbert,Tom Jones AND Gareth Bale(and, most importantly Adam,of course).

Can anyone ask any more of any geographical region? 

[Bobby Rico]

5 minutes ago, doushantuo said:

To explore Silurian UK fossils with a Welshman(transported,but still..)is a rare(-ified) pleasure.

I share Adam's and Tarq's fascination with Paleozoic corals.

I sadly don’t know enough about coral but they look incredible beautiful in my eyes and other worldly.

[DPS Ammonite]

3 hours ago, doushantuo said:

 

* Wales has given us Rhod Gilbert,Tom Jones AND Gareth Bale(and,most importantly Adam,of course).

Can anyone ask any more of any geographical region?

Wales has given us more (geologically speaking) important things. The Cambrian (from the Roman name for Wales), Ordivician and Silurian (both named after Welsh tribes) periods were established after studying rock outcrops in Wales. 

 

Most importantly, Wales have given us the only two words in English language whose only vowels are W. Any guesses especially from Scrabble players?

[Tidgy's Dad]

14 hours ago, doushantuo said:

To explore Silurian UK fossils with a Welshman*(transported,but still..)is a rare(-ified) pleasure.

I share Adam's and Tarq's fascination with Paleozoic corals.

* Wales has given us Rhod Gilbert,Tom Jones AND Gareth Bale(and,most importantly Adam,of course).

Can anyone ask any more of any geographical region?

Indeed not. 

Nice to see you back, my friend. 

[Tidgy's Dad]

15 hours ago, Bobby Rico said:

Hi Adam you know me I like the big stuff and the little. I think when looking through your threads I really like that you collated them in a geological timeline it makes it a more complete view.  I do really like the material that comes from Warn’s Nest too.

Cheers, mate! 

[Tidgy's Dad]

11 hours ago, DPS Ammonite said:

Wales has given us more (geologically speaking) important things. The Cambrian (from the Roman name for Wales), Ordivician and Silurian (both named after Welsh tribes) periods were established after studying rock outcrops in Wales. 

 

Most importantly, Wales have given us the only two words in English language whose only vowels are W. Any guesses especially from Scrabble players?

I guess I'm excluded from this contest. 

[Kane]

12 hours ago, DPS Ammonite said:

 

 

Most importantly, Wales have given us the only two words in English language whose only vowels are W. Any guesses especially from Scrabble players?

Cwm and Crwth? (not a Scrabble player, but an etymology aficionado). 

[Walt]

1 minute ago, Kane said:

Cwm and Crwth? (not a Scrabble player, but an etymology aficionado). 

I cannot pronounce those with a southern accent, therefore they are not real.  You guys can't just make words up and expect to have any credibility 

[Tidgy's Dad]

23 hours ago, Kane said:

Cwm and Crwth? (not a Scrabble player, but an etymology aficionado). 

Yup. 

Though I had to look up the second one, most unusual word, even in Welsh. 

[Kane]

1 hour ago, Tidgy's Dad said:

Yup. 

Though I had to look up the second one, most unusual word, even in Welsh. 

Speaking of Welsh, you might appreciate this one. In order to accommodate bilingual provisions, having signs in both English and Welsh in Swansea is mandatory. A council worker tasked with this made a funny error:

 

 

This translates to: "I am not in the office at the moment. Send any work to be translated"