Ameenah Posted January 6, 2013 Share Posted January 6, 2013 Hello Everyone, I found this plate in Springfield, TN yesterday on a creek bed under a overpass. I belive they are some type of worm I would like to find out what type they are. Thanks for the help in advance, ~Ameenah Explore -> Dream -> Discover ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockwood Posted January 6, 2013 Share Posted January 6, 2013 The piece with a circular shape on it's side in the third photo looks like it could be a cirrinodal columnal from a crinoid stem. Does an end view contradict the idea ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FossilDAWG Posted January 6, 2013 Share Posted January 6, 2013 I agree with the suggestion of crinoid columnals. Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Herb Posted January 6, 2013 Share Posted January 6, 2013 Look like crinoid stem pieces to me also. "Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence"_ Carl Sagen No trees were killed in this posting......however, many innocent electrons were diverted from where they originally intended to go. " I think, therefore I collect fossils." _ Me "When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."__S. Holmes "can't we all just get along?" Jack Nicholson from Mars Attacks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ameenah Posted January 6, 2013 Author Share Posted January 6, 2013 wow really? Ive never seen stems flat like that........... Explore -> Dream -> Discover ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ameenah Posted January 6, 2013 Author Share Posted January 6, 2013 here is another view I may need to take better pics Explore -> Dream -> Discover ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockwood Posted January 6, 2013 Share Posted January 6, 2013 It could be that the fossilization process was as tortured as my terminology Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted January 6, 2013 Share Posted January 6, 2013 I sure see what you mean about them being flattened...the only other thing I can think of is cephalopod, but that doesn't fly because your specimens don't taper. "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...
AgrilusHunter Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 Ichnofossil? Maybe a burrow of some kind? "They ... savoured the strange warm glow of being much more ignorant than ordinary people, who were only ignorant of ordinary things." -- Terry Pratchett Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ameenah Posted January 7, 2013 Author Share Posted January 7, 2013 no it is not a burrow lol I'll take better pics and post tomorrow sometime . Thanks to everyone better pics to come soon...................... Explore -> Dream -> Discover ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tracefossilnut Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 I have seen flattened crinoid columnals like that. There are burrows that look similar, but they don't separate into sections like the crinoids do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockwood Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 It just came to me. There is a picture of a crinoid with flattened columnals on the cover of the book FOSSIL CRINOIDS. Try an image search for platycrinites. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Indy Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 It just came to me. There is a picture of a crinoid with flattened columnals on the cover of the book FOSSIL CRINOIDS. Try an image search for platycrinites. Platycrinites Natural flat-like twisting stem Flash from the Past (Show Us Your Fossils)MAPS Fossil Show Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pecopteris Posted January 8, 2013 Share Posted January 8, 2013 Looks like Polychaete sp. to me... "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...
Indy Posted January 8, 2013 Share Posted January 8, 2013 Looks like Polychaete sp. to me... I have the book ... Quoting from "Fossil Crinoids" page 149 with the same photo that appears on the cover... "Complete crinoids from Indian Creek, uppermost Edwardsville Formation. Platycrinites saffordi (the large complete specimen) carrying the gastropod Platyceras" Flash from the Past (Show Us Your Fossils)MAPS Fossil Show Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted January 8, 2013 Share Posted January 8, 2013 I have the book ... Quoting from "Fossil Crinoids" page 149 with the same photo that appears on the cover... "Complete crinoids from Indian Creek, uppermost Edwardsville Formation. Platycrinites saffordi (the large complete specimen) carrying the gastropod Platyceras" I think that pecopteris is saying that Ameena's mystery specimen looks like a polychaete to him. "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...
Indy Posted January 8, 2013 Share Posted January 8, 2013 I think that pecopteris is saying that Ameena's mystery specimen looks like a polychaete to him. Flash from the Past (Show Us Your Fossils)MAPS Fossil Show Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ameenah Posted January 8, 2013 Author Share Posted January 8, 2013 (edited) Wow Guys, I just got home from work.... Thanks so much for all of the help. I really didnt think the crinoid skeletal remains could be that flat but I stand corrected LOL. I found this when I first started collecting and thougt it was also a worm fragment what do you all think of this? Edited January 8, 2013 by Ameenah Explore -> Dream -> Discover ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ameenah Posted January 8, 2013 Author Share Posted January 8, 2013 (edited) Ichnofossil? Maybe a burrow of some kind? The problem with the Burrow idea is that it would be the same color as the matrix like in this pic right? Edited January 8, 2013 by Ameenah Explore -> Dream -> Discover ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AgrilusHunter Posted January 8, 2013 Share Posted January 8, 2013 (edited) Hi Ameenah, Maybe in the formation you are collecting burrows will always be the same color as the matrix. However, I don't think all burrow fossils need to be the same color as the surrounding matrix though. I've seen red Ophiomorpha burrows embedded in a grayish matrix online before, but perhaps those are just a special case. Regardless, the crinoid column idea looks like a good ID. Cool fossil! Edited January 8, 2013 by AgrilusHunter "They ... savoured the strange warm glow of being much more ignorant than ordinary people, who were only ignorant of ordinary things." -- Terry Pratchett Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpc Posted January 8, 2013 Share Posted January 8, 2013 (edited) Howdy Ameenah- I agree, that burrows aren't necessairly the same color as the matrix. Often, yes, but not always. Burrows usually show no internal structure either... what do the ends of your look like? Your fossils seem to have very little structural stuff going on... I am going to go with horizontal bottom of the sea burrows. Edited January 8, 2013 by jpc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ameenah Posted January 8, 2013 Author Share Posted January 8, 2013 Hi Ameenah, Maybe in the formation you are collecting burrows will always be the same color as the matrix. However, I don't think all burrow fossils need to be the same color as the surrounding matrix though. I've seen red Ophiomorpha burrows embedded in a grayish matrix online before, but perhaps those are just a special case. Regardless, the crinoid column idea looks like a good ID. Cool fossil! Cool I dont think i've ever seen that before. Do you know what would cause the difference in color, secreations from the animal maybe? Thanks so much Explore -> Dream -> Discover ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AgrilusHunter Posted January 8, 2013 Share Posted January 8, 2013 HI Ameenah, I really don't know but I'll bet another member here does. If I had to guess I'd go with your suggestion of secretions or maybe just a different type of infilling mud. "They ... savoured the strange warm glow of being much more ignorant than ordinary people, who were only ignorant of ordinary things." -- Terry Pratchett Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobWill Posted January 8, 2013 Share Posted January 8, 2013 (edited) If a burrow was just a hole before it was infilled with sediment it stands to reason that the sediment that filled it in could be at least somewhat different from the sediment on the seabed that was originally burrowed into. It would all depend on what material was being washed into the sea at any one time and that could vary with the layers being eroded from the banks of the river system providing the sediment. But I'm reluctant to offer a guess on your fossil until I can see a picture of the end because of it's similarity to a crinoid. Since they don't all look exactly the same it's also possible they may not be the same thing. Edited January 8, 2013 by BobWill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockwood Posted January 8, 2013 Share Posted January 8, 2013 Wow Guys, I just got home from work.... Thanks so much for all of the help. I really didnt think the crinoid skeletal remains could be that flat but I stand corrected LOL. I found this when I first started collecting and thougt it was also a worm fragment what do you all think of this? Is this one convex or concave ? If it's concave I would guess mould of a crinoid stem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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