Budding Horn Corals - Entelophyllum?

This could be an Entelophyllum coral. This specimen was found in the Louisville Limestone. It existed during the Middle Silurian Period and was found in Jefferson County, Kentucky.

I am amazed at all the budding horn corals that were preserved in this piece.

Hemiaster whitei (Sea Urchin Fossil)

Some before and after pictures of a Hemiaster whitei fossilized sea urchin. It is from Turrant County, Texas (Goodland Formation). The creature existed in the Cretaceous Period.

It had some matrix all over it but the air abrasive unit removed the matrix in short order. This specimen is about the size of a prune. Same specimen in all four pictures. The top two show the fossil's topside and the bottom two show what it looked


This next one is a work in progress. An engraving tool has been used to remove the matrix off some of the fossil. Now an air abrasive is used to clean to the surface detail. This specimen is about the size of a chicken egg.

Beginning Air Abrasive Cleaning Cryptolithus Trilobite

Yesterday, I posted some images of Cryptolithus trilobites found in the Kope Formation, Carroll County, Kentucky. The visible part of the fossil (see last photo) could be seen on both sides of the cephalon. I decided that the middle could be air abrasive cleaned along with an engraver. As you can see (first two pictures) the whole bottom rim is now visible along with some of the inside shell. Whether the head plate is intact remains to be seen. Also part of the genial spine emerged.

Another part of the rock, yesterday I speculated part of a starfish arm might be visible. I am now wondering if this is just an imprint made in the matrix by the holes along the cephalon plate of the Cryptolithus.

Ordovician Cryptolithus Trilobite Fragments

These pictures show fragments of the Ordovician Period Cryptolithus trilobite found in Carroll County, Kentucky. It was found in the Kope Formation.


The U shaped collar is visible at both ends but the middle is obscured. I want air abrasive clean this fossil to try and reveal the entire cephalon (if intact). Mystery object in the left top corner could be a starfish arm.


You will need to click to enlarge this picture. This is a rock plate that had one of the previous shown trilobite fragments. Herb from KYANA Geological Society (Louisville, Kentucky) was looking at this piece and pointed out that this could be a starfish arm.

Ordovician Brachiopod Dalmanella

These Ordovician fossils are interesting in that some of them are reddish-maroon in color and others are gray. The brachiopods shown appear to be genus Dalmanella. They were found in Carroll County, Kentucky in the Kope Formation.

The shells are about 1 cm long.

Ordovician Flexicalymene Pygidiums

Yesterday, KYANA Geological Society stopped by Carroll County, Kentucky for some Ordovician siteseeing after a marvelous tour of the Cincinnati Museum Grier Collections Center fossil department. I took a lot of pictures of specimens to post! Here is a sample of Flexicalymene trilobite pygidium pieces I found on the roadcut. I think we were in the Kope Formation of the Ordovician Period.

This first piece is of an enrolled Flexicalymene with a damaged cephalon and pygidium.

Australian Coral Fossil Pictures

The following images appear to be fossilized corals from Australia. I think a few are some sort of horn corals and the first one reminds me of a Louisville, Kentucky Aulocystis or Romingeria from the Devonian Period. I think these fossils might be Silurian or Ordovician Period.

Thanks to Bill for sending them in.

Silurian Dalmanites Trilobite Fragments

At one time in the Louisville, Kentucky area there lived some very large Silurian Period trilobites. Here are some fragments that were found that were just the back pieces. They are almost 4 cm wide so the entire trilobite was huge compared to Devonian Period Phacops and Ordovician Period Flexicalymene pieces we find. The only other trilobite in this area that may have been larger was the Ordovician Period Isotelus.

These fragments were found in Jefferson County, Kentucky in the Louisville Limestone. These are probably Silurian Period Dalmanites.

Modern Day Brachiopod

On my tour of the Indiana University Southeast (IUS) Geosciences department, they had a modern day brachiopod sitting in a jar of preservative. That explains why the image has optical distortions since it taken through a curved surface of a jar with the specimen in a liquid.

No name was on the jar so I am not sure what the name of the brachiopod is.

Here is a reference Platystrophia Ordovician Period brachiopod found in Louisville, Kentucky.

Ordovician Flexicalymene Trilobite

I picked this rock up in one of the eastern Louisville, Kentucky road cuts that has Ordovician Period fossils. Originally, I was attracted to a conical shaped cephalopod mold looking rock. Once I picked it up, it had a small exposed area of a trilobite thorax. The ridges of the thorax had matrix in them so it seemed like a good idea to sand blast them clean.

I took it to my cousin and pointed out that a cephalon was partially visible and maybe a whole trilobite was there. So he sandblasted the rock for about 20 minutes and what a surprise. There were sections of three Flexicalymene trilobites there. The largest one is about 2 cm long.

This is a work in progress. More matrix needs to be removed to see if another cephalon exists. Notice the white marks on the rock made by the engraver tool.

Devonian Clam Modiomorpha concentrica

These pictures are of a Devonian Period clam called Modiomorpha concentrica (Conrad, 1838).  It was found in Clark County, Indiana USA in the Jeffersonville Limestone. A coral is growing on part of the shell that is probably an Aulocystis. This fossil belongs to my cousin who has been cleaning it.

 

I used 1889 A Monograph of the Fossil Shells of the Silurian and Devonian Rocks of Kentucky by Henry Nettelroth (1835-1887) found here. This first image is from Plate II figure 10.

The last image is from Plate II, figure 11.