ober Posted December 25, 2018 Share Posted December 25, 2018 Hello helpful fossiliers, Help please. These fossils came from outside Moab close to the Colorado River, but on a high shelf. The river is not visible from this location. Roadside Geology of Utah identifies this area as Permian, as did a BLM paleontologist. They are from about 10-15 miles SW from Moab. The rocks are largely a red base (clay?) with a gray-er surface. These three pictures are actually 3 different locations on the rock, but I think (wonder if) they are the same life form. The first is about 2 mm long. The ruler shows a mm scale. You can see the cross section end of the item on the fossil closest to the ruler. The second is a round disc from elsewhere on the surface and the third is a connected series of round discs. My sense is that the disc and connect discs are crinoid segments. Is the first picture also a crinoid, or am I way off on all this? I can post additional pictures if anyone asks. Thanks. Tom 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ynot Posted December 25, 2018 Share Posted December 25, 2018 They all like like crinoid bits to Me. Darwin said: " Man sprang from monkeys." Will Rogers said: " Some of them didn't spring far enough." My Fossil collection - My Mineral collection My favorite thread on TFF. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockwood Posted December 25, 2018 Share Posted December 25, 2018 Check the mold portion of that top one. I'd go bryozoan with those. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ober Posted December 25, 2018 Author Share Posted December 25, 2018 Rockwood, are you saying bryozoan because the fossil is not segmented discretely like the crinoid one? By the mold portion, do you mean the markings on the top photo, further from the ruler, that has a systematic hatching? I am looking in Index Fossils of North America to see how close I can find a match. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ober Posted December 25, 2018 Author Share Posted December 25, 2018 ynot, thanks for the crinoid confirmation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Herb Posted December 25, 2018 Share Posted December 25, 2018 crinoid bits also. "Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence"_ Carl Sagen No trees were killed in this posting......however, many innocent electrons were diverted from where they originally intended to go. " I think, therefore I collect fossils." _ Me "When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."__S. Holmes "can't we all just get along?" Jack Nicholson from Mars Attacks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockwood Posted December 25, 2018 Share Posted December 25, 2018 17 minutes ago, ober said: Rockwood, are you saying bryozoan because the fossil is not segmented discretely like the crinoid one? By the mold portion, do you mean the markings on the top photo, further from the ruler, that has a systematic hatching? I am looking in Index Fossils of North America to see how close I can find a match. Thanks. This is what looks more like the impression that the outside surface of a bryozoan left in the matrix. The fracture pattern and overall shape of the other one looks more like is typical of branching bryozoan colonies in my experience. I have seen crinoids preserved in a way that has the fractured look though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ynot Posted December 25, 2018 Share Posted December 25, 2018 1 hour ago, Rockwood said: overall shape of the other one looks more like is typical of branching bryozoan colonies I was thinking spines that are on some crinoid calyx. Darwin said: " Man sprang from monkeys." Will Rogers said: " Some of them didn't spring far enough." My Fossil collection - My Mineral collection My favorite thread on TFF. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockwood Posted December 25, 2018 Share Posted December 25, 2018 12 minutes ago, ynot said: I was thinking spines that are on some crinoid calyx. Very possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ober Posted December 27, 2018 Author Share Posted December 27, 2018 thank you all for your insights. this gives me something to work on. cheers. tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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