Monday, December 15, 2008

Cyathophylloides cf. C. burksae

Here is a close up some colonial coral from the Ordovician period. It was found in Jefferson County, Kentucky near Jeffersontown. It appears to be Cyathophylloides cf. C. burksae as mentioned in Ruth Browne's research papers when she studied this area in the 1960s.

I come to this conclusion because the corallites have 10-11 septas and tabulae are about 4 per 5 mm. After measuring a number of corallite diameters it looks like they are between 3.5-4.0 mm. This specimen was found in the Drake Formation.

Notice the septa or star like patterns in the honeycomb like shapes near the ruler.