Unknown Ordovician Fossil

[Walker_Weyland]

This fossil is from the Platteville formation in southern Wisconsin, which is Ordovician in age. It does not seem to be a compress spiral, but rather composed of separate pieces or plates that alternate on either side. At the tip there are two sections that are positioned in the middle rather than on either side like the rest of the sections seem to be. I put it under the microscope but there is not much finer detail besides the individual grains, so it does not seem to be a Bryozoan or Coral. If anyone has any leads they would be much appreciated.  

 

The scale is in centimeters. 

[Innocentx]

That's different looking... like a curled up leaf, which would be wrong for that formation I think. Hopefully someone with more knowledge of that area will come along.

[Herb]

sorry, it does not look like a fossil to me

[Peat Burns]

That's very interesting. Definitely worth keeping and pursuing a proper ID.  I think it's a fossil of some sort, possibly ichnofossil.

[Ludwigia]

Looks like the remnants of shell substance to me. Is that shell on the surface or mineral substance?

[Rockwood]

40 minutes ago, Ludwigia said:

Is that shell on the surface or mineral substance?

In the second photo, just above the scale at 7"-7.5" looks like a brachiopod to me. I agree that it is a body fossil of some sort. The pattern of growth isn't ringing any bells as to just what it may be though.

[Innocentx]

6 hours ago, Rockwood said:

In the second photo, just above the scale at 7"-7.5" looks like a brachiopod to me.

Definitely. 

[ynot]

Looks like a bundle of dried chili peppers.

Has @Ptychodus04 been in the area? Maybe he is missing some of his stash.

[FossilDAWG]

I don't think the fossil is completely exposed, as the left hand side seems to have a "lobe" that goes under the matrix.  My initial impression is of an elongated gastropod, worn to an off-center longitudinal section.  

 

Don

[FossilDAWG]

2 minutes ago, ynot said:

Looks like a bundle of dried chili peppers.

Has @Ptychodus04 been in the area? Maybe he is missing some of his stash.

I wonder if they would still be hot after >400 million years?

 

Don

[Innocentx]

20 minutes ago, FossilDAWG said:

elongated gastropod, worn to an off-center longitudinal section.  

I think that's the correct ID. The tip at right has that look, and it has the arrangement of chambers so possibly worn gastropod steinkern (as I don't see evidence of shell).

[FossilDAWG]

It's common to a lot of Ordovician formations that molluscs (bivalves, gastropods, and cephalopods) are preserved as internal molds, whereas brachiopods, trilobites, corals, bryozoans etc preserve the shell.  Basically, aragonitic shell is less stable than calcitic or phosphatic shell so it tends to dissolve.  Sometimes the internal molds will be exhumed (exposed by erosion) and reburied multiple times before finally being buried for good (at least until exposed in the present day and collected).  As a result, worn or split molds can be found, and also sometimes one will find molds that were exposed for long enough for epibionts such as bryozoans to grow on them.

 

Don

[fossilized6s]

Split gastropod cast. 

[westcoast]

Vaguely reminds me of a very strange and unlikely treptichnus trace fossil. But whatever it is its a really interesting find.

[Ptychodus04]

5 hours ago, ynot said:

Looks like a bundle of dried chili peppers.

Has @Ptychodus04 been in the area? Maybe he is missing some of his stash.

Can’t be me, I haven’t been to Wisconsin in years and I covet my peppers too much to drop them!

5 hours ago, FossilDAWG said:

I wonder if they would still be hot after >400 million years?

 

Don

Probably so hot you would damage your teeth and intestines if you eat them.