Colonial Coral in Ice

Here is an Ordovician colonial coral caught in the ice storm. It was found in the Liberty formation in eastern Jefferson County. It could be one of the following species: Foerstephyllum vacuum (Foerste, 1909),  Calapoecia huronensis, or Cyathophylloides wellsi.

Halysites in Ice

Louisville is in an ice storm right now and this Halysite coral got caught in it. It is now encased in ice. It is from the Silurian Period and was found in central Jefferson County.

Heliophyllum Horn Coral with Favosites Bryozoan

Here is a Heliophyllum horn coral that has bryozoan colony on it called Favosites clausus. It was found in Clark County, Indiana and existed in the Devonian period.

Trilobite Cryptolithus bellus Lace Collars

Here are a number Cryptolithus bellus trilobite lace collars from the Ordovician period. It is in the Kope Formation or Eden Formation found in Carroll County, Kentucky.

I wonder if the little holes are eyes are some sort of touch sensors. The Fossils of Ohio book labels this type of trilobite as blind so I wonder if they were feelers of some sort. They seem some what staggered in nature. The outer most ring is elliptical and in between the ellipses on the next row are circular shapes. On the next row, smaller circular shapes where each circle is in between a larger set of circles.

It appears that underneath the top of the collar are more circular shapes that go around the front perimeter.

Halysites Chain Coral in Nashville

Here is a chain coral from the Silurian Period called Halysites. It appears to be about 8 cm long.

It was found in northern Nashville, Tennessee

Horn Coral Fragment - Siphonophrentis elongata

Here is a fragment of the Devonian Period horn coral called Siphonophrentis elongata (Rafenesque & Clifford, 1820). This image gives a number of views of the fragment and also shows a view from inside the horn coral. This fossil was found in central Jefferson County, Kentucky USA. It is found in the Jeffersonville Limestone.

 

Eroded Crinoid Stem

An eroded crinoid stem from Lake Cumberland, Kentucky. The image contains a variety of different views. This crinoid was from the Mississippian Period.

Devonian Trilobite and Cephalopod

Here is a cephalopod segment piece and trilobite head from the Devonian Period found in Clark County, Indiana.

Cross section of Ordovician Cephalopod

Here is a small cephalopod mold about 2 cm across. A siphuncle can be seen in the center of this mold filled with calcite or quartz. This cephalopod was found in eastern Jefferson County, Kentucky. It is from the Ordovician Period.

Diamond Cut of Colonial Coral

Here is a view of two sides of the colonial coral. This one was found in eastern Jefferson County, Kentucky. It is an Ordovician coral.

Grewingkia canadensis Horn Coral

Here is an Ordovician horn coral found in eastern Jefferson County, Kentucky. I sliced off the top part that was covered with debris using a diamond saw. You can see the borings of probably a worm. The image shows the top few that has been polished with wet sand paper and the side view showing multiple boring marks.

See this neat website on bioerosion (http://www.wooster.edu/geology/Bioerosion/Trypanites.html) by a worm like creature called Trypanites. Boring marks are seen quite a bit on horn corals but I rarely find them going through to the septa. This one did but I should have preserved the distal end to see if it was more a rounded or flared.

Flexicalymene Trilobite

Here is an Ordovician Period trilobite called Flexicalymene from the Mt. Washington area in Kentucky. It is approximately 2 cm in length and has been cleaned with a sand blaster. It is about the only one I have found that is stretched out and almost fully intact.

I found it on a field trip with KYANA Geological Society (www.kyanageo.org) of Louisville, Kentucky.

Unknown Nashville Fossil

I found this on an exposed rock face in northern Nashville, Tennessee about 40 cm from a Halysite chain coral. This index fossil would date this to Silurian Period. Is it the bottom of a crinoid calyx, the bottom of a sponge or coral? Along the cliff face are hexagonal corals and some that look like stacks of pancakes. It kind of reminds me of a sea urchin shape.

EDIT: The material surround the fossil that somewhat looks like fingerprints is beekite. The Paleolist discussion group had some comments about this material.

Lake Cumberland Crinoid

Here is a branching Lake Cumberland crinoid that I guess is a holdfast.

It is a nice plate showing the branches and has a good blue color. Fossil is from the Mississippian Period.

Longitudinal View of Ordovician Cephalopod

Here you can see some chambers of the siphuncle of an Ordovician cephalopod. Some water has been put on this section that was cut with a diamond saw to show more detail.

Ordovician Bryozoan

Here is a Ordovician bryozoan found in eastern Jefferson County, Kentucky.

Click on image to make larger to allows seeing the small little cells the moss creatures lived in. The tiny detail is amazing.

Siphonophrentis elongata Horn Coral

Here is a large Devonian horn coral that was found in central Jefferson County, Kentucky. This is just a small piece of one but they could grow to 60-80 cm in length. It came from Jeffersonville Limestone and existed in the Middle Devonian Period. It is called Siphonophrentis elongata (Rafenesque & Clifford, 1820).

Ordovician Colonial Coral

Here is a colonial coral found in eastern Jefferson County, Kentucky. The chambers are shown as the coral grew outward stacking chamber upon chamber. The top surface in shadow looks like a cratered asteroid where the little coral creatures once resided.

Devonian Corals

Here is a Devonian rock that has coral and horn coral (?). The horn coral(?) is on the top that appears to be eroding. A branching bryozoan is on the bottom. The rock is somewhat fragile and must be some sort of limestone since that is the Devonian layer.

Devonian Coral

Here is a Devonian Coral found in central Jefferson County, Kentucky. It probably came from Jeffersonville Limestone.

Ordovician Colonial Coral in Two Views

Here is a colonial coral from the Ordovician period. It was found in eastern Jefferson County, Kentucky.

Inside of Devonian Coral

Here is some sort of Devonian (?) coral that been cut longitudinal with its bubble like chambers.

Favosites Emmonsia eximia

Here is another view of a Devonian coral called Favosites (Emmonsia) eximia found in Louisville, Kentucky.

Cyathophyllum colligatum

Here is a Devonian coral found in Jefferson County, Kentucky in Jeffersonville Limestone. It is a Phillipsastraeidae called Cyathophyllum colligatum.

Still experimenting with elevated glass plates with gradient backgrounds.

Favosites (Emmonsia) eximia

Here is a Devonian coral called Favosites (Emmonsia) eximia that was found in Clark County, Indiana. I have been experimenting with photographing on a suspended glass plate over a gradient image. It is pretty neat but I have the light setting wrong on the camera in this shot. Tried to compensate using Photoshop though.

Cystihalysites nexus

Found in Louisville, Kentucky in Louisville Limestone. Appears to be the Silurian coral, Cystihalysites nexus.

Unknown Horn Coral

This coral came out of an area of Devonian corals in Jefferson County, Kentucky. I think it might be some sort of Heliophyllum. The outside seems to have eroded away somewhat.

Hexagonaria cincta

Here is a Devonian coral called Hexagonaria cincta found in Jeffersonville Limestone in Jefferson County, Kentucky (Louisville).

Unknown Horn Coral

Here is a Devonian horn coral found in Jefferson County, Kentucky.