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Devonian solitary rugose coral


lissa318

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Hey guys this coral keeps drawing my attention.  We have hundreds of horn corals and pretty sure this is one, but it looks different than the others?  Do you think it just preserved differently or could it be a less common type of solitary rugose coral?  Any thoughts appreciated and thanks for looking!  :)

 

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Definitely a solitary rugose 'horn' coral. 

I think it's been heavily eroded between the tabulae at the top and bottom, but not so much in the middle, giving it this interesting shape.

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Life's Good!

Tortoise Friend.

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I think there is more to the story. 

In my view it was befallen by hard times near the end of it's life before rallying again near the end.

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2 hours ago, Tidgy's Dad said:

Definitely a solitary rugose 'horn' coral. 

I think it's been heavily eroded between the tabulae at the top and bottom, but not so much in the middle, giving it this interesting shape.

 

1 hour ago, Rockwood said:

I think there is more to the story. 

In my view it was befallen by hard times near the end of it's life before rallying again near the end.

Ok thanks tidgy's dad and rockwood!  I'm just not accustomed to this shape and the fact that it looks more like a flower on the top...  lol Maybe it filled up with sediment before it fossilized, which made it stouter and would explain the circle in the middle at the top?  I figured it was worth posting in case there was a type that I wasn't aware of...  Appreciate the feedback as always!  :)

49 minutes ago, caldigger said:

I think it just put on a little extra weight during the holidays.

:hearty-laugh:

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1 hour ago, lissa318 said:

the circle in the middle at the top?

It's common for the center to be filled this way where it is less exposed and less divided by septa.

I think the top segment is oriented on a slightly different axis after the event that caused the disruption isn't it ?

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It's likely that that's the actual calicular surface, with a bit sediment sticking in the middle. 

 

As @Rockwood says, the diameter variations are partly down to varying conditions while it was growing, with a spell of rejuvenescence (common in corals) towards the end. With weathering as well, as @Tidgy's Dad said.

(Try looking up "rugose coral rejuvenescence".)

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Tarquin

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It could look different if it was a cast. I was reading an articule about casts and molds. Casts can be filled by materials such as small rocks and minerals.  I looked at your pictures and the coral fossil looks like it has some tiny shells in it. This leads me to think. At one time it might have been a mold and then it filled with things like the shells. This could be why it looks different. Just my humble 2 cents worth.

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27 minutes ago, Ms Michal said:

It could look different if it was a cast. I was reading an articule about casts and molds. Casts can be filled by materials such as small rocks and minerals.  I looked at your pictures and the coral fossil looks like it has some tiny shells in it. This leads me to think. At one time it might have been a mold and then it filled with things like the shells. This could be why it looks different. Just my humble 2 cents worth.

I had the same thought initially, but the shapes are formed by tabulae around the perimeter. It's commonly seen in these corals.

 

IMG_4576a.jpg

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3 hours ago, Rockwood said:

It's common for the center to be filled this way where it is less exposed and less divided by septa.

I think the top segment is oriented on a slightly different axis after the event that caused the disruption isn't it ?

I think you are right!  It is a bit too worn to be able to make out distinct segments that well unfortunately, but it at the top it does appear to grow up and out farther.  Thank you.  :)

3 hours ago, TqB said:

It's likely that that's the actual calicular surface, with a bit sediment sticking in the middle. 

 

As @Rockwood says, the diameter variations are partly down to varying conditions while it was growing, with a spell of rejuvenescence (common in corals) towards the end. With weathering as well, as @Tidgy's Dad said.

(Try looking up "rugose coral rejuvenescence".)

I looked up rejuvenescence and see what you mean! I'm sure it is a combo of all the above. I figured I'd just check as I'm not familiar with all the corals and didn't want to miss something. :hearty-laugh: I often see the variations in the width of the corals and now have a term for what causes it!  lol Thank you. 

2 hours ago, Ms Michal said:

It could look different if it was a cast. I was reading an articule about casts and molds. Casts can be filled by materials such as small rocks and minerals.  I looked at your pictures and the coral fossil looks like it has some tiny shells in it. This leads me to think. At one time it might have been a mold and then it filled with things like the shells. This could be why it looks different. Just my humble 2 cents worth.

Thank you for your thoughts!!!  I appreciate it! :)

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On 3/15/2019 at 6:04 PM, Rockwood said:

I had the same thought initially, but the shapes are formed by tabulae around the perimeter. It's commonly seen in these corals.

 

IMG_4576a.jpg

Oh ok yes I see that thank you.

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