Ichnofossil?

[FossilNerd]

I stopped by a new road cut today to see if it would be a viable hunting spot. One of the things I found there was this interesting piece. Maybe an Ichnofossil?  Some type of burrow or feeding trails? According to the USGS map, the cut is Salem Limestone which is Upper Mississippian in age. Any ideas?

 

This small piece that I picked up came from a larger slab that was over a meter wide. The whole rock was covered in these and they are in between the layers. The big ones are only about 1cm across and most are half that. 

 

A photo from the field...

 

This is a picture of it wet...

 

 

 

 

 

[grandpa]

That cannot be "random".  It must be ichnofossils.  The next question is further ID.  I'll see what I can find

[FossilNerd]

43 minutes ago, grandpa said:

That cannot be "random".  It must be ichnofossils.  The next question is further ID.  I'll see what I can find

That was my way of thinking as well Tom. Thanks for taking a look! I'm digging around as well. Maybe we will come up with something.  

[piranha]

Compare with Helminthopsis isp:

 

figure from:

 

Martino, R.L. 1989

Trace fossils from marginal marine facies of the Kanawha Formation (Middle Pennsylvanian), West Virginia.

Journal of Paleontology, 63(4):389-403  PDF LINK

[FossilNerd]

6 minutes ago, piranha said:

Compare with Helminthopsis isp:

Thank you sir! I’ll read over the paper. They do look very similar to the picture you provided. 

[grandpa]

Try the following:

https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007%2F978-3-540-47226-1_

And:

Southeastern Section - 63rd Annual Meeting (10–11 April 2014)

Paper No. 3

Presentation Time: 1:45 PM ESTUARINE ICHNOLOGY IN THE MISSISSIPPIAN HARTSELLE SANDSTONE OF ALABAMA

And:

Bioirrigation in Alph n. igen., arthropod cubichnia from the Mississippian Hartselle Sandstone of Alabama (USA)

Article (PDF Available) in Geodinamica Acta 28(1):1-19 · November 2015 with 314 Reads

DOI: 10.1080/09853111.2015.1108569

• David C. Kopaska-Merkel 27.79 Geological Survey of Alabama

• Andrew K. Rindsberg 24.49 University of West Alabama

Abstract

Cubichnia from the Hartselle Sandstone, described as Rusophycus hartselleanus and herein renamed Alph hartselleanus n. igen., include specimens with well-defined, terminal cylindrical structures. We interpret these oblique shaft-like structures as having a respiratory function based on: (1) exact placement of cylindrical structures on the cubichnial axis; (2) unique sculpture with both transverse and longitudinal striation, absent elsewhere in the assemblage despite excellent preservation of trace fossils; (3) associated features in the trace such as bubbly structure that also could be caused by bioirrigation. Alph hartselleanus are much larger than known Carboniferous trilobites. While similar to Rusophycus, the Hartselle cubichnia have a complex morphology suggesting a crustacean tracemaker. The trace is quadrilobate, with distinct anterior and posterior regions. The posterior region has 5 or 6 pairs of coarse, obliquely transverse striae corresponding to digging appendages, crosscut by fine, obliquely longitudinal striae that may record bioirrigation. The anterior region has a bubbly structure suggestive of thixotropic movement of sand, again, possible evidence for bioirrigation. The axial shafts do not match known trilobite appendages, but could have been made by crustaceans. Were the cubichnia merely resting traces, or did they have additional functions such as nesting or protection during moulting? In a broader context, the physical evidence for bioirrigation represents a nearly untapped opportunity for understanding the Cambrian Substrate Revolution as well as Phanerozoic ecosystems. Where preserved, the apertures of burrows should be investigated for evidence of bioirrigation.

 

And:

 

[FossilNerd]

@grandpa

 

Thanks for the links and info! I’ll certainly give them a look over.  

[Mark Kmiecik]

20 hours ago, grandpa said:

That cannot be "random". 

You mean the shrimp had a game plan?  I wonder if they had construction permits.