Cephalopod Found At Our Library

[Stocksdale]

Me and my kids did a fossil search through the landscape rock in the parking lot of our local library in Elgin. The day before, we happened upon a few interesting items (crinoids and brachiopods). http://www.thefossil...rian-fossil-id/ The rocks are landscape drainage and I assume that they came from a local quarry so they'd be Silurian or late Ordovician.

The exciting find was a cephalopod (kind of looks like a beloitoceras because of the curve).

We also found what I think is a receptaculites.

And something interesting that might be a holdfast for a crinoid. But then again may be something else.

And also something that we thought might be a trilobite burrow.

[Auspex]

Cool!

I think the "holdfast" is an internal mold of a brachiopod, and the burrow is a vug (void) in the rock that might have been left by a shell that dissolved.

[Stocksdale]

Thanks for the info. I wasn't sure what we were looking at on those last two so I thought I'd check. We're new at this so learning as we go.

[Auspex]

Some of the greatest joy I have in this Forum comes from the enthusiasm of 'recent converts'

[vertman]

The "convert" analogy is amusing and it really rings true. A good day of fossil hunting with friends and family, whether one finds anythings or not, is almost a religious experience.

[evren]

I agree with Auspex that the "hold fast" is a brachiopod internal mold. Looks like a pentamerid.

I hunt every gravel patch I walk past. Especially when I know I'm in fossil country. I've even found a partial trilobite, ceph chunks, pieces of crinoids, and brachs in the gravel on my apartment building's roof.

[ashcraft]

I agree with Auspex that the "hold fast" is a brachiopod internal mold. Looks like a pentamerid.

I hunt every gravel patch I walk past. Especially when I know I'm in fossil country. I've even found a partial trilobite, ceph chunks, pieces of crinoids, and brachs in the gravel on my apartment building's roof.

That is hard core!

Brent Ashcraft

[Stocksdale]

I think with our first few finds, we are starting to get hooked on the religion. ......

Looks like the brach internal mold is likely a pentamerus, right? About right for Silurian rocks.

Edited February 18, 2013 by Neophytus Elginian

[Stocksdale]

Looking at photos, what I thought was receptaculites may be a colonial coral instead??

[evren]

Looking at photos, what I thought was receptaculites may be a colonial coral instead??

Agreed, looks like a favosite coral.

[Stocksdale]

Thanks everyone for the info. And thank you for your patience with my learning curve.

[Rob Russell]

Nice finds for the Elgin library.

[ghost1066]

If you stop learning something is wrong. Those are cool finds. I found a great place to look on a railroad spur. No telling the exact location of the rocks but it is full of fossils. Found my first trilo thorax there.

I agree with the coral ID. Looks a lot like what I find here in big chunks. Congrats.

[Stocksdale]

Here's a diagram I put together with our fossil cephalopod. I might put something like this together and have it displayed at the Library so that people can get a kick out of what can be found in the Library's drainage rocks.

[Keeper]

Funny how you can find something in the strangest places. I've played a game with my daughter where if we are by a gravel road or gravel lot, i'll pull over and give her 30 seconds to find something, for each piece I give her a dollar. It has cost me 5 many times. She loves it.

[Herb]

The diagram is really nice!