Fossil from the Northeastern side of Lake Michigan

[Windwalker]

Hello,

I am new to fossil hunting and identification. I took this fossil to a mineralogical association meeting last night and no one could identify it. Hopefully someone on this forum can. It was embedded in a rock I found on the shores of the northeastern section of Lake Michigan. The other side of the rock has a brachiopod in it. I removed this from the rock using a dremel engraving tool with a small chisel attachment. That is what made the surface marks (but not the deep divots). 

 

Can anyone help identify this thing?

 

Thank you!

Windwalker

[Windwalker]

Sorry - the markings on the ruler are worn off a bit. The ones closest to the fossil are centimeters.

[Mark Kmiecik]

I don't see anything that screams fossil. But I'm not the best at ID so let a few others chime in with their opinions.

[Rockwood]

It may sort of whisper brachiopod. 

[Windwalker]

Hm. What is a whisper brachiopod? Can't find it on google.

[Windwalker]

Ah. You mean it may be some sort of brachiopod! I think you may be right. When I look at pictures of brachiopods it seems like it could be part of one.

[Fossildude19]

I am not seeing any kind of fossil here.

Having a hard time making a brachiopod out of any of those shapes.  I see one are that very vaguely resembles a spiriferid brachiopod outline.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Could also  just be a different mineral inclusion.

 

 

[Rockwood]

I really wasn't picturing more than a small, poorly preserved, tool marked, fragment near the center of a hinge line. 

[Windwalker]

Thanks for taking so much time and putting so much thought into helping me with this. I really appreciate it! You are helping me learn!

 

I like both suggested possibilities - maybe it is some kind of mineral incursion attached to a poorly preserved fragment of a hinge.

[Rockwood]

19 hours ago, Windwalker said:

The other side of the rock has a brachiopod in it.

By chance was the brachiopod on the other side relatively small. Where I used to collect brachiopod hash plates in Maine it was common for one side of a plate to be covered in small brachiopods and the other to have large brachiopods and corals on it. I'm not sure if the conditions would have been similar enough there for the idea to have any significance though. It's just a thought. 

[Windwalker]

Here is a photo of the other side of the rock. This guy is about 6 cm long. I considered removing it but didn't want to risk destroying it.

[Kane]

Spiriferid brachiopod, likely Devonian. Continue resisting the urge to remove it as those "wings" are very delicate and will break off easily.

[Rockwood]

This is something like I was speculating the other one could be a piece of. 

[Windwalker]

Thanks for identifying this brachiopod for me! It makes sense that the other one would be a part of one like this. I am very grateful for the input!