Ediacaran fossils from Guizhou, Mugilw, and Alabama

[ntloux]

If one assumes that the Ediacaran lasted from 635 MYA until 538.8 MYA then I have a number of ediacaran fossils that have little to no identification.  Any comments or suggestions from Forum members would be greatly appreciated.

 

The first image is the front of an ediacaran fossil from Guizho, China.  This specimen is constructed of a relatively fragile high sand content shale.  Most notable is the spaghetti like fossil that could be compressed fronds, tubes or perhaps even some type of mold; I have seen nothing like it on the internet.  The top of this image depicts a crescent moon shaped fossil and the portion of the lower left may or may not reflect abrasion.

 

 

The second image is of the back of the Guizhou specimen depicted in image 1.  The top of this image depicts another more detailed crescent moon shaped fossil illustrating fine "hairs" on the periphery.  There are small less featured fossils in the lower portion of this image.  It is possible that the crescent shaped fossils are among the petalonamae. 

 

 

 

 

Images 3, 4 and 5 are closeups of the fossils depicted in images 1 and 2.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Image number 6 is of Nemiana simplex fossils from the ediacaran in Mulgilw, Ukraine.  When I first acquired this specimen it was thought to be a jellyfish attached to the sediment.  More recently it has been proposed that it is the result of algae.  Any further information would be appreciated.

 

 

 

Image 7 is of Prota-medusae fossils from 550 MYA that were found in Gadsden, Alabama.  I was pleased to see that such soft bodied creatures were preserved in the fossil record.

 

 

Comments, suggestions, and corrections are welcome.

[rocket]

2 hours ago, ntloux said:

If one assumes that the Ediacaran lasted from 635 MYA until 538.8 MYA then I have a number of ediacaran fossils that have little to no identification.  Any comments or suggestions from Forum members would be greatly appreciated.

 

 

Image 7 is of Prota-medusae fossils from 550 MYA that were found in Gadsden, Alabama.  I was pleased to see that such soft bodied creatures were preserved in the fossil record.

 

 

Comments, suggestions, and corrections are welcome.

this one is really special. There are some "similar" known from China, but never seen some from another place

Could you please post a pic from one side? Are there structures to be seen?

Thanks a lot!

[ntloux]

I am attaching three additional images of both specimens.  The top image has the most interesting detail.

 

Top image

 

 

 

Bottom image.

 

 

Side image.

 

 

[rocket]

thanks

this is one of the chinese one, since many years in discussion where it belongs to...

[doushantuo]

that last one, I remember you asking me about that one.

I think that is a clump of ( putative) algae, possibly with holdfasts

edit : NTL your determination of the clump of the 6( 7, 8 ) spherical objects as a beltanelliform from the Nemiana plexus seems to me to be correct

 

edit: NTL, you have some beauties there

Edited March 16 by doushantuo

[EMP]

The Alabama fossils are Brooksella alternata from the middle Cambrian Conasauga Formation. There’s some debate about whether or not they’re jellyfish, sponges, or geologic in origin, but personally I lean towards something biological, or at least generated from biological activity. 

[ntloux]

Thank you for the information.  I was relying on the collector's statement that the fossil was 550 million years old.