Fossil Identification Request

[BLT]

I am wondering which type of fossil I found. Is it a type of sponge? (Tuscumbia Limestone/Mississippian)

[BLT]

[BLT]

[ynot]

[BLT]

2 hours ago, ynot said:

I believe this is only the second time I’ve posted an item which you weren’t able to identify. Lol 

[BLT]

Does anyone else have thoughts on the possible Identification of this one?

[Mark Kmiecik]

This specimen is one of those "I would have to hold it in person" to even guess what it may be.

[BLT]

1 minute ago, Mark Kmiecik said:

This specimen is one of those "I would have to hold it in person" to even guess what it may be.

Alrighty, lol. Thanks for trying anyways.

[abyssunder]

My first thought, seeing the specimen, was sponge in a speleogen like matrix (boxwork).

[BLT]

12 minutes ago, abyssunder said:

My first thought, seeing the specimen, was sponge in a speleogen like matrix (boxwork).

Thanks!  I had no idea of what speleogen was, so I googled it. Does it usually come from caves? This was found near a river. 

[abyssunder]

It will be not necessarily to be considered to come from a cave or a cave lake formation.
There might be dissolution of the holding substrate making the whole thing to looks like a boxwork.

I'm pretty sure that the "core" has not the consistency of the surrounding matrix.

[Mark Kmiecik]

On 6/28/2019 at 6:39 PM, BLT said:

Thanks!  I had no idea of what speleogen was, so I googled it. Does it usually come from caves? This was found near a river. 

Whatever number of millions of years ago that this may have formed, it may have been much closer to a cave than a river for all we know. That's the mystery of geology and paleontology that keeps us interested and striving for answers. Welcome to the party; grab a drink and hang on.

 

I was thinking sponge at first also, but the lack of spicules (yes, Google it) normally found in sponge specimens made me think coral, then boxwork (Google this too). Click on "images" and check them out.