A Piece of Matrix Full of Brachiopods

[minnbuckeye]

After finding this piece of matrix while traveling to Ohio, I decided it needed a little prepping. It turned out to be a keeper after 3 hours of work on it! By the way, I adore matrix pieces!!  The brachiopods are either Lepidocyclus periamellosum or Hiscobeccus capax. I can't differentiate the 2 species apart. But some major insult had to happen to preserve over 30 of these brachiopods as seen on a relatively small piece of matrix.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 10, 2023 by minnbuckeye

[Tales From the Shale]

I have quite a few from Indiana myself. From what I've read and looked up (amateur and professional sources alike) it seems that Lepidocyclus is slimmer and slightly smaller. Inversely, H. capax is slightly larger, with a more convex valve shape. I could very well be mistaken, but that's what I've gathered from observing individual specimens online. The differences are only very slight and I cannot recall if they were being reworked under the same genus.

[minnbuckeye]

23 minutes ago, Tales From the Shale said:

if they were being reworked under the same genus.

That is my current understanding. Hopefully these will be joined as one!

[FossilDAWG]

I believe the significant differences are internal, not the exterior.

 

Don

[Misha]

Wow that is an amazing plate! I have a few of these brachiopods from Ohio, but nothing this spectacular, amazing find and prep! Matrix pieces like this are really cool

[digit]

I do love a good hash plate!

 

 

Cheers.

 

-Ken

[snolly50]

2 hours ago, digit said:

I do love a good hash plate!

Ken, there are many in South Carolina that share your ardor. However, "hash plate" has a different meaning in these environs!

 

Here is an excellent documentary. It is no doubt longer running than many would wish to invest in the obscure subject. To me, having been raised in the Palmetto State, it is evocative.

 

https://www.folkstreams.net/films/carolina-hash

[digit]

Unaware of this local instantiation of the term "hash plate". Sounds interesting and deeply culturally significant but as a vegetarian, I'll stick to the sides.

 

My favorite "hash plate" is from the St. Leon road-cut in Indiana and is paved with a nice density (and diversity) of brachiopods and bryozoans. It is presently on display at the FLMNH.

 

I really do love the incredible relief on the Ohio hash plate pictured above. Was the prep work done on this merely cleaning up some of the softer surface material or did you excavate down to bring these brachiopods popping off the plate?

 

 

Cheers.

 

-Ken

 

P.S.: I might suggest that such a gorgeous assemblage of brachiopods should receive a wider audience as part of the invertebrate submissions for the FOTM.

 

[Jeffrey P]

Wow! That is some brachiopod matrix you've got there. Big congrats. I saw some that were similar at St. Leon, but nothing as amazing as that. Thanks for sharing. 

[Nimravis]

Great piece- I would have kept that one as well.

[minnbuckeye]

I forgot to show the back of this plate. It also is nice. Full of Strophomena and Sowerbella.

 

 

 

@digit 

If you notice, I said it was found on the way to Ohio. I had actually stopped at St Leon for the purpose of collecting a roller. Years past, two other attempts at finding a trilobite from the butter shale of St Leon failed. So did this was my third try. Upon arrival, I was greeted to hundreds of footprints embedded in the muck along the complete exposure of butter shale. Bad timing resulted in strike three! But this roadcut always provides fun fossils to collect, whether one finds a trilobite or not.

 

As for prepping this plate, some matrix was removed around most brachiopods but the majority of my time was cleaning up the specimens themselves.

 

 If FLMNH would like this piece to compliment their other, just let me know and it is theirs.

[digit]

9 minutes ago, minnbuckeye said:

If FLMNH would like this piece to compliment their other, just let me know and it is theirs.

My piece is on temporary loan for an exhibit. I can ask Roger Portell if he'd like some brachiopod plates.

 

While I had access to a tile saw I cut a clean edge on my hash plate which allows it to stand vertically so that both sides can clearly be seen (mine has interesting goodies on both surfaces as well).

 

 

Cheers.

 

-Ken

[digit]

12 minutes ago, minnbuckeye said:

I had actually stopped at St Leon for the purpose of collecting a roller. Years past, two other attempts at finding a trilobite from the butter shale of St Leon failed.

My one and only visit to St. Leon was awesome seeing that much fossil material all over the site. Within quite literally 2 minutes I found a roller. This of course reset my expectations to think that they were not uncommon but reality kicked in and it ended up being the only complete one all day.

 

http://www.thefossilforum.com/index.php?/topic/65939-hunting-the-roadcuts-of-indianas-ordovician/&do=findComment&comment=690390

 

 

Cheers.

 

-Ken