Carboniferous Corals From The Uk

[TqB]

@Ludwigia Thanks very much, Roger! Just skimming the surface of the taxonomy but it's a fun way to teach myself.

[TqB]

7 minutes ago, Bobby Rico said:

I too agree with Ludwigia it is concisely , informative and enjoyable  post. But as an Artist i can't get over the refinement of the structures combined with the contrasting pigments makes them phenomenal  polished slices of rock. Next pay day I am looking around for some polished corals to add to my collection. Inspired.

 

Cheers Bobby

 

Thanks, Bobby! The camera isn't lying but (as always with photography) I mess around with the lighting both real and virtual. Saw some of your digital art on here - evocative and beautiful. 

[Bobby Rico]

Thanks Tarquin I appreciate that I am really into the work of Caspar David Friedrich the 19th century landscape painter. Also Good work on your photographic enhancements looks very natural and understated. 

 

 

[TqB]

Sometimes, the corals and other calcite fossils that have been lying in the local Weardale streams acquire a green mineral staining. 

I picked up this Aulophyllum fungites today with a view to sectioning it - this is the surface as found.

 

I collected it mainly because the ones in this crinoidal limestone often have very clear preservation with transparent calcite infill. I'll cut it later but sadly the colouring doesn't go far in!

 

Coral about 2.5 cm diameter, photographed covered by water. The outside brown bits are silicified.

 

 

[Bobby Rico]

Wow I never seen any fossil as green and vivid as that . It looks like it been dyed by hand . Beautiful fossil now I am .

[Ludwigia]

2 hours ago, TqB said:

Sometimes, the corals and other calcite fossils that have been lying in the local Weardale streams acquire a green mineral staining. 

I picked up this Aulophyllum fungites today with a view to sectioning it - this is the surface as found.

 

I collected it mainly because the ones in this crinoidal limestone often have very clear preservation with transparent calcite infill. I'll cut it later but sadly the colouring doesn't go far in!

 

Coral about 2.5 cm diameter, photographed covered by water. The outside brown bits are silicified.

 

 

 

Exactly what causes the green tint? Organic or mineral? Copper compound?

 

[TqB]

10 hours ago, Ludwigia said:

 

Exactly what causes the green tint? Organic or mineral? Copper compound?

 

 

Mineral I think. It's an old lead mining area (with some copper minerals) with mine entrances opening into the stream side and the water is acidic from the peat. 

 

The colour has lasted a few years so far on other specimens I have which I don't think algae would do, and it's an odd shade for chlorophyll.

[Ludwigia]

10 hours ago, TqB said:

 

Mineral I think. It's an old lead mining area (with some copper minerals) with mine entrances opening into the stream side and the water is acidic from the peat. 

 

The colour has lasted a few years so far on other specimens I have which I don't think algae would do, and it's an odd shade for chlorophyll.

Thanks. It did occur to me that it might have been in the neighborhood of a mine where you found it.

[Brittle Star]

Hi Tarquin,

 

I think your photos are amazing, as usual.

[TqB]

I haven't managed to find one of these yet as I haven't visited the right areas so I'm very grateful to generous fellow collector @s.c. who recently found and gave me this.

 

Amplexus coralloides Sowerby 1814, Courceyan Stage (early Mississippian), Hook Head, Co. Wexford, Ireland. (Not the UK of course but similar Carboniferous geology to SW England & Wales.)

 

This is the type species of the genus and was originally described by Sowerby from Limerick.

It's fragile but the breakages show the very simple structure well, with very short septa attached to the walls which only extend inwards as low ridges on the flat tabulae.

There are no dissepiments.

 

The overall appearance resembles a straight cephalopod with narrow chambers.

 

Very short septa next to the thin outer walls, continuing as ridges on the tabulae:

 

Side view showing large, rather fractured, simple tabulae which go all the way across the corallum:

 

Cross section showing shattered tabulae:

 

Exterior with encrusting bryozoan on the left:

 

Gorgeous plate from the Edwards & Haime monograph (1852):

[s.c.]

Fantastic pics and explanations, thanks!  Mind you, all your pictures are fab :-)

 

Sam

[TqB]

36 minutes ago, s.c. said:

Fantastic pics and explanations, thanks!  Mind you, all your pictures are fab :-)

 

Sam

 

And thank you so much for the specimen! Good to to see you back.

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

11 hours ago, TqB said:

I haven't managed to find one of these yet as I haven't visited the right areas so I'm very grateful to generous fellow collector @s.c. who recently found and gave me this.

 

Amplexus coralloides Sowerby 1814, Courceyan Stage (early Mississippian), Hook Head, Co. Wexford, Ireland. (Not the UK of course but similar Carboniferous geology to SW England & Wales.)

 

This is the type species of the genus and was originally described by Sowerby from Limerick.

It's fragile but the breakages show the very simple structure well, with very short septa attached to the walls which only extend inwards as low ridges on the flat tabulae.

There are no dissepiments.

 

The overall appearance resembles a straight cephalopod with narrow chambers.

 

Very short septa next to the thin outer walls, continuing as ridges on the tabulae:

 

Side view showing large, rather fractured, simple tabulae which go all the way across the corallum:

 

Cross section showing shattered tabulae:

 

Exterior with encrusting bryozoan on the left:

Gorgeous plate from the Edwards & Haime monograph (1852):

 

Very nice! 

i do think I've got one hanging about somewhere. 

I'll have to have a look. 

[TqB]

8 hours ago, Tidgy's Dad said:

Very nice! 

i do think I've got one hanging about somewhere. 

I'll have to have a look. 

That would be interesting, thanks.

There's a dearth of diagnostic images from collectors for some reason - it's not rare in the right areas. I guess they just don't bother with it much.  

[Tidgy's Dad]

4 hours ago, TqB said:

That would be interesting, thanks.

There's a dearth of diagnostic images from collectors for some reason - it's not rare in the right areas. I guess they just don't bother with it much.  

I think a lot of collectors, including me, don't generally bother with acetate peels or polished cross-sections so have a lot of Carboniferous corals that pretty much look the same. Identification is often difficult, dubious or impossible and corals are often not as 'sexy' as other groups of fossils so can be rather underrepresented in collections or posts online, especially some of the horn corals. Shame, really. 

[Bobby Rico]

55 minutes ago, Tidgy's Dad said:

I think a lot of collectors, including me, don't generally bother with acetate peels or polished cross-sections so have a lot of Carboniferous corals that pretty much look the same. Identification is often difficult, dubious or impossible and corals are often not as 'sexy' as other groups of fossils so can be rather underrepresented in collections or posts online, especially some of the horn corals. Shame, really. 

I totally a agree with  you Adam and unless you’re really interested in finding 100% positive ID , you also might not won’t to cut your specimens of corals up. But from an aesthetic point and from a collector of beautiful objects polished coral plates are among the most stunning specimens in my collection. I very new to collecting corals so I hope I did not miss the point. But as you both said it is a shame. 

[TqB]

An externally uninspiring one I picked up last week with a view to doing a longitudinal section.

 

Koninckophyllum magnificum Thomson & Nicholson, Great Limestone, Pendleian (upper Mississippian), Weardale, Durham.

 

About 6cm high, brass scale bar = 1cm

 

It's strongly curved so the section runs out at the bottom.

Section through calice at the top.

 

Wide, flat to domed tabulae with central columella visible in some parts. Apparently stop/start rejuvenescent growth (common in the species).

 

 

Large, almost lonsdaleoid, dissepiments on the right.

 

A bit dull on the outside.

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

i think it's very beautiful. 

[Bobby Rico]

Absolutely beautiful in it’s complexity . Nice photos Tarquin. Thanks for sharing.

[doushantuo]

Love that "Konincko" and the way you photographed it

[TqB]

 

17 hours ago, Tidgy's Dad said:

i think it's very beautiful. 

 

16 hours ago, Bobby Rico said:

Absolutely beautiful in it’s complexity . Nice photos Tarquin. Thanks for sharing.

 

16 hours ago, doushantuo said:

Love that "Konincko" and the way you photographed it

 

Thanks, guys! I rather neglect the solitary ones but must try a few more.

[TqB]

Had a bit of fun today with this erratic cobble from the north Yorkshire coast. It cried out to have both halves polished.

 

(Lithostrotion vorticale. Each half is about 16x10cm.)

 

 

 

 

[Bobby Rico]

Looks like a fossilised rorschach test 

very beautiful specimens and photography. Thanks for sharing..

[Tidgy's Dad]

On 4/20/2018 at 9:58 AM, TqB said:

 

 

Just now, TqB said:

Had a bit of fun today with this erratic cobble from the north Yorkshire coast. It cried out to have both halves polished.

 

(Lithostrotion vorticale. Each half is about 16x10cm.)

 

 

Stunning! 

It's funny, but I was only chatting to @Bobby Rico about L. vorticale a few hours back. 

It's a distant cousin of his, or something. 

[Ludwigia]

A Flutterby! Beautiful!