Roz Posted October 17, 2012 Share Posted October 17, 2012 Pennsylvanian PeriodThis opened and I thought it was just minerals until I lookedthrough the loupe.. I am very curious as I have no clues on this one..I think I made need a stronger loupeThanks for lookingThe image below has something almost dead center although I cannot tell what it is.. Welcome to the forum! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted October 17, 2012 Share Posted October 17, 2012 The reddish mass in the center really looks coprolitic to me, with all the various little inclusions, but I have no idea what is up with the fibrous thing... "There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley >Paleontology is an evolving science. >May your wonders never cease! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roz Posted October 17, 2012 Author Share Posted October 17, 2012 I haven't seen the fibrous things before in any nodule I've found.. I hope someone knows what it is. I am so curious.. Coprolite might be very well what the mass is.. I hadn't thought of that.. Thanks Welcome to the forum! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erose Posted October 17, 2012 Share Posted October 17, 2012 If they are fossil, not crystals, then maybe they are sponge spicules? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roz Posted October 17, 2012 Author Share Posted October 17, 2012 I am going to look for images online of that.. Thanks.. Welcome to the forum! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piranha Posted October 17, 2012 Share Posted October 17, 2012 Hi Roz, Sponge looks correct. Attached is the hexactinellid: Docoderma. It has a Pennsylvanian-Permian range and is recorded from Texas. If not this genus something similar perhaps? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roz Posted October 17, 2012 Author Share Posted October 17, 2012 Thank you all so much for the help and bringing unknowns to the light! I pronounce Auspex, erose, and piranha, true fossil detectives.. Thanks for cracking the case! Thanks for the images too, Scott.. Yes, I think that matches for sure! I will label it before I forget!! Welcome to the forum! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missourian Posted October 17, 2012 Share Posted October 17, 2012 Spicules.... Perhaps a coprolite of a sponge eater? Context is critical. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roz Posted October 17, 2012 Author Share Posted October 17, 2012 Yes, that is possible. I don't know what else ate sponges besides fish.. I'll have to look that up.. I was thinking that the coprolite was the original irritant of that started the forming of the nodule and as it progressed, it just picked up the spicules as more irritants.. I am not sure that's possible or not.. Just a thought.. Welcome to the forum! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted October 17, 2012 Share Posted October 17, 2012 The mass of spicules are uncompressed and apparently largely unbroken...I cannot believe that they had been eaten. Isn't it more likely that the concretion enveloped a sponge (or piece of one) as it formed around its coprolite nucleus? "There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley >Paleontology is an evolving science. >May your wonders never cease! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missourian Posted October 17, 2012 Share Posted October 17, 2012 (edited) Isn't it more likely that the concretion enveloped a sponge (or piece of one) as it formed around its coprolite nucleus? If so, it would be quite rare. I would be utterly thrilled to find such a sponge. Edited October 18, 2012 by Missourian Context is critical. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LanceH Posted October 18, 2012 Share Posted October 18, 2012 The preservation is amazing, never seen spicules with space around them and not encased in limestone. We have found sponges tentativly identified as "Luterospongia texanum" which are large cup shaped sponges at that locality. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roz Posted October 19, 2012 Author Share Posted October 19, 2012 The mass of spicules are uncompressed and apparently largely unbroken...I cannot believe that they had been eaten. Isn't it more likely that the concretion enveloped a sponge (or piece of one) as it formed around its coprolite nucleus? I think that must be it because I can think of no other explanation... Welcome to the forum! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pecopteris Posted October 20, 2012 Share Posted October 20, 2012 It might be Spirorbis carbonarius, an extremely small species of Carboniferous worm. "PECO" (Pecopteris) - I specialize in Carboniferous fossils. I have a wide array of plants. In my collection at the moment: Ferns, Calamites, Syringodendron, Aspidaria and Sigillaria. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
araucaria1959 Posted October 20, 2012 Share Posted October 20, 2012 I have lots of Spirorbis from different ages; they are always very tiny (rarely exceed 3 mm); I don't think that the specimen under discussion is related to Spirorbis. Here is a link to Spirorbis: http://www.google.de/imgres?q=Spirorbis+carbonarius&num=10&hl=de&tbm=isch&tbnid=XZSstkXg5X1QvM:&imgrefurl=http://www.biologie.uni-hamburg.de/b-online/library/steur/engdier/espirorb.html&docid=IPVf-Qw-0VqjaM&imgurl=http://www.biologie.uni-hamburg.de/b-online/library/steur/dieren/spirorb.jpg&w=363&h=532&ei=0SaDUPr2CMzNsgbJnYGgCA&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=308&vpy=280&dur=2703&hovh=272&hovw=185&tx=111&ty=138&sig=115305578462837720505&page=1&tbnh=151&tbnw=103&start=0&ndsp=24&ved=1t:429,r:7,s:0,i:93&biw=1246&bih=857 araucaria1959 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roz Posted October 20, 2012 Author Share Posted October 20, 2012 Yes, I agree.. I don't see it as a match at all.. I think they are spicules.. Thanks for the suggestion though! Welcome to the forum! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now