Cephalopod Fossil at Basilica di Santa Croce

Here is a picture of a rare straight shelled cephalopod fossil found at Basilica di Santa Croce in Florence, Italy. I see a lot of coiled ammonoids in this material but not so many straight shelled cephalopods.

This building material is a iron enriched (red) limestone also known as Red Verona marble or Rosso Verona marble used in a lot of churches including this one. The material dates to the Upper Jurassic Period of the Rosso Ammonitico Formation, Oxfordian Stage, Verona Province, Venetia Region of Italy. Pictures taken August 2024.

 Look in the reddish square shapes in front of the tomb of Neri Corsini (1614-1678). Here is map.

Ammonite Fossil at Basilica di Santa Croce

 

 

Here is a picture of an ammonoid fossil found at Basilica di Santa Croce in Florence, Italy. This building material is a iron enriched (red) limestone also known as Red Verona marble or Rosso Verona marble used in a lot of churches including this one. The material dates to the Upper Jurassic Period of the Rosso Ammonitico Formation, Oxfordian Stage, Verona Province, Venetia Region of Italy. Pictures taken August 2024.

 

Look in the reddish square shapes in front of the tomb of Neri Corsini (1614-1678). Here is map.

Diploria flexuosissima

 

These images are of Diploria flexuosissima (d'Achiardi, 1868) scleractinian coral fossil. They were found in Montecchio Maggiore, Veneto, Italy and dates to the Paleogene Period.

Pictures taken at Museo di Geologia e Paleontologia Florence Italy (Università degli Studi di Firenze) in August 2024.

Septatraea geometrica Coral Fossil

 

This image is of Septatraea geometrica coral fossil. It was found in Italy and dates to the Miocene Epoch.

Picture taken at Museo di Geologia e Paleontologia Florence Italy (Università degli Studi di Firenze) in August 2024.

 

Auracarites rotzanus Plant Fossil

 

This image is of the Auracarites rotzanus plant fossil. 

 
Picture taken at Museo di Geologia e Paleontologia Florence Italy (Università degli Studi di Firenze) in August 2024.

Annularia longifolia Plant Fossil

 

This image is of the Annularia longifolia plant fossil. The plant existed in the Carboniferous Period.

Picture taken at Museo di Geologia e Paleontologia Florence Italy (Università degli Studi di Firenze) in August 2024.

Homotherium crenatidens Tiger Fossil

 

This image is of the cranium and mandible of a Homotherium crenatidens saber-tooth tiger fossil. The animal existed in the Pleistocene Epoch. Fossil was discovered in 1870 near Sammerzzano, Upper Valdarno, Italy.


Picture taken at Museo di Geologia e Paleontologia Florence Italy (Università degli Studi di Firenze) in August 2024.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homotherium

New Finds of Myelodactylus convolutus

 My cousin Kenny has found two new Myelodactylus convolutus (Hall, 1852) fossils in the last month. This criniod is somewhat unique as it is usually found coiled with its small calyx hidden inside the coil. They remind one of a modern millipede. Both specimens were found from Waldron Shale at the same quarry in Clark County, Indiana, USA. These fossils date to the Silurian Period.

Return To the Fossils of the Vatican

Last month, I returned to  St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City near Rome, Italy. On September 3, 2019 I posted a blog entry about finding ammonite fossils in some of the floor slabs on a visit there. This building material is a iron enriched (red) limestone also known as Red Verona marble or Rosso Verona marble used in a lot of churches including this one. I now know to look for fossils when I see the reddish-pink stone in floors. The material dates to the Upper Jurassic Period of the Rosso Ammonitico Formation, Oxfordian Stage, Verona Province, Venetia Region of Italy.

 

On this visit, I investigated some of the slabs in more obscure locations like the corners along walls and found some very nicely preserved ammonoid fossils. It appears the stone mason might have intentional put some of these slabs with fossils there and they have held up well since people are not walking on that surface.