Jump to content

Upper Mississippian Unknown


the tatter

Recommended Posts

Hello all, here is something new for me from the Pitkin limestone formation, maybe some kind of crinoid?

Thanks for looking

Marilyn

PS: feel free to identify the brachiopods as well.

post-7482-0-55990200-1382484893_thumb.jpg

Discovery consists of seeing what everybody has seen, and thinking what nobody has thought.

Albert Szent-Gyorgyi

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Beautiful hash plate. Possible partially exposed crinoid calyx at bottom right but looks like mostly bivalves and brachiopods.

Cole~

Knowledge has three degrees-opinion, science, illumination. The means or instrument of the first is sense; of the second, dialectic; of the third, intuition.

Plotinus 204 or 205 C.E., Egyptian Philosopher

Link to comment
Share on other sites

At right looks like possible ray or fish mouthplate or something....no idear.

Experts will arrive and debunk momentarily. ;)

Cole~

Knowledge has three degrees-opinion, science, illumination. The means or instrument of the first is sense; of the second, dialectic; of the third, intuition.

Plotinus 204 or 205 C.E., Egyptian Philosopher

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Actually this is the structure I was inquiring about -

post-7482-0-04514300-1382492842_thumb.jpg

Discovery consists of seeing what everybody has seen, and thinking what nobody has thought.

Albert Szent-Gyorgyi

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It would be just guessing to try and identify this echinoderm other than it looks like a crinoid. Perhaps a from a group called 'flexible' such as Amphicrinus.

There was a researcher called LR Laudon who did a study of crinoids from that formation 'way back'...then he was up here in Alberta and did one on similar aged crinoids from our Rockies. You may be able to find his paper on line googling his name and the formation.

Cole...that was my thought too. Might just be a piece of chert but when I see black or bluish black then could be calcium phosphate tooth from a Paleozoic shark.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here is a more detailed picture taken thru a 20x hand lens. The plates are 5 sided. The piece is about 2.2 cm long and 1.3 cm wide if that helps. Also the presevation is not the same as most of the crinoid pieces that I find.

post-7482-0-71535300-1382542010_thumb.jpg

Northstar, I found the publication, but not on pdf. I will have to buy it, so it is going on my wish list for now. Thanks for the tip.

Cole, the blackish thing I think you were refering to is a brachiopod flake, a lot of them preserve black in this limestone.

Thanks all for your replies.

Marilyn

Discovery consists of seeing what everybody has seen, and thinking what nobody has thought.

Albert Szent-Gyorgyi

Link to comment
Share on other sites

To these old eyes ...

the "plates", if that's what they are,

are not "obvious" echinoderm plates.

Yea, not real obvious to me either, but what else might it be?

Thanks Indy

Discovery consists of seeing what everybody has seen, and thinking what nobody has thought.

Albert Szent-Gyorgyi

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Oh, I think I found it!!! look at Delocrinus sp.

State-Fossil.jpg

Discovery consists of seeing what everybody has seen, and thinking what nobody has thought.

Albert Szent-Gyorgyi

Link to comment
Share on other sites

the Delocrinus plates are more symmetrical and regular than the ones on your specimen I believe. It does look echinodermy to me though.

"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

Attached to the 5 sided crinoid plate ...

could be the anal tube ... looks to me more like an anal tube

than an crinoid arm.

Previously I didn't notice the crinoid plate

and was just focused on what now appears to me

to be an anal tube.

PS: I'm familiar with 5 sided crinoid plates

Example (Pennsylvanian) Link

Edited by Indy

Flash from the Past (Show Us Your Fossils)
MAPS Fossil Show

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi the spirifer brachiopods are Anthracospirifer increbenescens (Hall, 1883), i hope i spelled it correctly, and the crinoid cup looks to be a Phanocrinus cup, these two genera are quite common in the Pitkin Limestone

  • I found this Informative 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just a note on Echinodermata..., wet the specimen, hold it at eye level and tilt it in the light. The reflection off the calcite plates is usually noticeable and ID's it to this phylum..

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Looks like partial crinoid cup with a textured surface to me similar to this one but bumps are not as prominent

post-3664-0-60632900-1382639145_thumb.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Looks like partial crinoid cup with a textured surface to me similar to this one but bumps are not as prominent

I'm with Thair on this. I see a very typical crinoid plate shape but with an unusual surface pattern or texture. And I think that pattern/texture is what JimB88 is seeing as edrioasteroid. And there are some interesting large Mississippian edrios.

That texture may be the key to an ID as well. But if there is one thing we can always count on with echinoderms it will be something weird and strange.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think I can uncover a bit more of the 'bottom' of it, I have it soaking in water, hopefully I can get a little more exposed, and get a name for it. Thanks all for your help, its really exciting to have found something that is a little bit of a mystery for you folks.

Marilyn

Discovery consists of seeing what everybody has seen, and thinking what nobody has thought.

Albert Szent-Gyorgyi

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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 account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...