Maybe a coral?

[Gravlens]

Hi, new member and first post. I found this in a pile of rocks on the side of the road left when a landscaping company truck delivered a load to a new home. Sorry but that is as much as I can narrow down a location. Probably from a local area though as we don't order rock from out of state much around here.

[Kane]

Welcome to the Forum.  

 

Looks like a scleractinian coral to me. 

[Gravlens]

Wow, Thanks for your reply. You folks have an amazing grasp of these things. I showed this to some people at work and ordinary people have a lot of interest in science and nature if it is presented in terms they can relate to. One more question any idea of an age for something like this?

[Tidgy's Dad]

Nice coral. 

Without more information on the locality it will be difficult to determine an age. 

[Kane]

I should say that this is my provisional ID... Others may chime in with something different!  I'm assuming it may be despite what appears to be substantial weathering, as I think I can make out evidence of the ribbed coralites. 

 

If it is a scleractinian coral, it would not be older than the Triassic period (~252 mya). I have some from Jamaica that are Cretaceous in age. 

 

Of course, it could also be Hexagonaria (or something similar), which could push the potential geologic date back substantially. 

 

 

[FossilDAWG]

With all due respect, I do not see anything that would exclude a colonial rugosan coral.  One possibility would be Acrocyathus (formerly known as Lithostrontionella), which is common as silicified colonies in Mississippian formations in the area.

 

Don

[Kane]

8 minutes ago, FossilDAWG said:

With all due respect, I do not see anything that would exclude a colonial rugosan coral.  One possibility would be Acrocyathus (formerly known as Lithostrontionella), which is common as silicified colonies in Mississippian formations in the area.

 

Don

Quite likely! I just know it isn’t a trilobite. 

[FossilDAWG]

15 minutes ago, Kane said:

Quite likely! I just know it isn’t a trilobite. 

That would be quite the camouflage job!

 

Don

[Kane]

3 minutes ago, FossilDAWG said:

That would be quite the camouflage job!

 

Don

 

Early attempts failed spectacularly:

[Gravlens]

There are definitely ribbed features on the other side. I'll upload another picture. Thanks again for your interest!

[daves64]

16 minutes ago, Kane said:

 

Early attempts failed spectacularly:

AAAwww..... a trilo with a hat.. 

[Gravlens]

here is the other side

[Kane]

For comparison, these would be examples of what Don referenced:

 

(Image initially provided by Piranha: )

 

(Image from University of Kentucky GS: https://www.uky.edu/KGS/fossils/fossil-coral-rugose-corals-mound-shape.php)

[Mark Kmiecik]

3 hours ago, daves64 said:

AAAwww..... a trilo with a hat.. 

Female trilo -- that's a bonnet!