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Florida Agatized Sponge or Coral?


Bronzviking

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I found this awesome glittery piece on the beach in Tampa Bay. It is kind of layered and has a cheesecloth pattern on it. It is about 2 x 2 1/2 inches in diameter and about 1 1/4 inches in height. It is lighter than my typical coral finds. It has what looks like 2 bore holes that go right through. I'm not seeing any corallites so I'm leaning towards a sponge. I have 3 photos-- top/bottom and one side view. (Note: photos don't capture the crystallization) What do you think it is? Thanks in advance.

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maybe a glass sponge?

 

Sponge1.thumb.jpg.f0871bc297ef09bf7d5f6db4abab9973.jpg

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This may yet be a coral where distinguishing characteristics have been worn gone. 

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Looks like coral to me.

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I played with your second photo and can see hexagonal shapes here:

 

DSC080601.jpg.15f3ba798e5ad4f526375db9a79ba0b4.jpg.89b489b2f310068db8c18f237edbd527.jpg

 

 

"Journey through a universe ablaze with changes" Phil Ochs

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I'm wondering what might be the stellate features in the circled in red areas: septa, spicules, acicular crystals, or something else? :headscratch:

 

601.thumb.jpg.3f9b8b2ccaa08f359f571baa3da46977.jpg

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" We are not separate and independent entities, but like links in a chain, and we could not by any means be what we are without those who went before us and showed us the way. "

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Fossil corals from Tampa Bay (at least from the 'Silex beds') do not preserve in this fashion.  On the other hand,  colonial algae might build a skeleton much more randomized than a corallum.  I just don't know enough about colonial algae or sponges to hazard a guess.  Is it calcium carbonate or silicified?

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In the dark backward and abysm of time?

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1 hour ago, abyssunder said:

I'm wondering what might be the stellate features in the circled in red areas: septa, spicules, acicular crystals, or something else? :headscratch:

 

601.thumb.jpg.3f9b8b2ccaa08f359f571baa3da46977.jpg

Looking under magnification I'm leaning towards spicules or unknown.

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1 minute ago, goatinformationist said:

Shiny like glassy, and light weight?  It looks like pumice to me.

No not glassy, sparkly like diamonds. It's lighter than my coral but still has weight and pumice is not typically found in Florida, but thanks for looking.

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1 hour ago, Innocentx said:

I played with your second photo and can see hexagonal shapes here:

 

DSC080601.jpg.15f3ba798e5ad4f526375db9a79ba0b4.jpg.89b489b2f310068db8c18f237edbd527.jpg

Thanks for enlarging. So what does the hexagonal shapes tell us?

 

 

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51 minutes ago, Bronzviking said:

So what does the hexagonal shapes tell us?

That it is from a biologic source and is not pumice.

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Darwin said: " Man sprang from monkeys."

Will Rogers said: " Some of them didn't spring far enough."

 

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2 hours ago, Harry Pristis said:

 

Fossil corals from Tampa Bay (at least from the 'Silex beds') do not preserve in this fashion.  On the other hand,  colonial algae might build a skeleton much more randomized than a corallum.  I just don't know enough about colonial algae or sponges to hazard a guess.  Is it calcium carbonate or silicified?

I agree it doesn't look like our typical coral. Is there a test I could do to differentiate the two?

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6 minutes ago, Bronzviking said:

I agree it doesn't look like our typical coral. Is there a test I could do to differentiate the two?

Hardness test would be the easiest, does it scratch a knife blade?

Yes=silicate

No=calcite

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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.

 

 

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Here's a modern bryozoan that I picked up on a beach in North Carolina. Some of the structure is very similar to Bronzviking's piece (inset).

combined.jpg

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20 hours ago, ynot said:

Hardness test would be the easiest, does it scratch a knife blade?

Yes=silicate

No=calcite

It scratched a Swiss pocket knife blade. So would that be a hardness of 7?

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10 hours ago, Al Dente said:

Here's a modern bryozoan that I picked up on a beach in North Carolina. Some of the structure is very similar to Bronzviking's piece (inset).

combined.jpg

The structure looks very similar. Thanks for posting the photo.

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Recent corals or bryozoans are not agatized. Maybe there's a chance for glass sponges, already silicified? :headscratch:

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" We are not separate and independent entities, but like links in a chain, and we could not by any means be what we are without those who went before us and showed us the way. "

Thomas Mann

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20 minutes ago, Innocentx said:

Sponges are so unique in their ways.

I agree with you! :)

" We are not separate and independent entities, but like links in a chain, and we could not by any means be what we are without those who went before us and showed us the way. "

Thomas Mann

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2 hours ago, Bronzviking said:

So would that be a hardness of 7?

If the only 2 choices are calcite and quartz minerals, yes.

A knife blade (steel) is around 5 on the mohs scale.

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.

 

 

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Thanks for everyone's input. The knife test shows silicate, not calcite. We have many theories; coral, sponge, bryozoan and colonial algae. Should I put this in the unknown pile or do we have anymore IDs? Can you take a look at this piece please? @Johannes @digit @Plantguy

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