Halysites catenularia Chain Coral Fossil

This picture is of a Halysites catenularia (Linnaeus, 1767) chain coral fossil. It existed during the Silurian period. The fossil was found in Drummond Island, Michigan, USA. Fossil was on display at the Natural History Museum Vienna (Naturhistorisches Museum Wien) on August 2024.

A fossil like this can be found in the Louisville, Kentucky USA area as well. Here is one on display at a Paris museum. https://louisvillefossils.blogspot.com/2022/11/halysites-catenularia-chain-coral-fossil.html

Halysites catenulatus Coral Fossil

This image is of a Halysites catenulatus coral fossil. The animal existed in the Silurian Period. Fossil was discovered in Dudley, Scotland.

Picture taken at Museo di Geologia e Paleontologia Florence Italy (Università degli Studi di Firenze) in August 2019.

Halysites louisvillensis Chain Coral Fossil

The index fossil of the Silurian period: Halysites. These coral fragments were found in the Louisville limestone in Jefferson County, Kentucky. Erwin Stumm's book Silurian and Devonian Corals of the Falls of the Ohio lists four types of Halysites and this one seems to be Halysites louisvillensis (Stumm, 1964).

Silurian Chain Coral Called Halysites

Here is a Silurian index fossil called Halysites or chain coral. It is part of the hands on exhibit in the Discovery Gallery at the Louisville Science Center where I volunteer. The specimen does not have a label as to where it is from but it looks like ones I find in the area so it could be from Jefferson or Clark counties in this area.

I found a description of this coral in a a book stored at books.google.com entitled "An Introduction to the Study of Fossils (Plants and Animals) by Hervey Woodburn Shimer published in 1914. From pages 137-138, "Coral compound, composed of long, laterally compressed corallites, and covered by peritheca. Septa absent or represented by spines; tabulae numerous. Between each pair of corallites is a small tube. Budding occurs only from one side and the young corallites remain in contact with the parent by a constricted edge, thus forming chains, in which each corallite is a link (whence the common name, "chain-coral," from the Greek halysis, chain)."

Chain Coral Halysites Photographed in Sunlight

Chain coral Halysites from the Silurian Period. This one was found in central Jefferson County in the state of Kentucky in the United States.

The picture was taken in sunlight while an earlier post was photographed using incandescent light.

Silurian Chain Coral: Halysites

Here is a another Halysites segment from the Silurian Period. The chain appearance is much more apparent in this specimen. It could use some more cleaning though.

Sideways View of Silurian Halysites Coral

Here is a piece of Louisville Limestone that I think has Halysites in it. It was found in Jefferson County, Kentucky. Fossil from the Silurian period.

Silurian Chain Coral - Halysites

A Halysites chain coral protruding from a rock from Louisville Limestone member. It was found in Jefferson County, Kentucky.

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.

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

Halysites or Chain Coral

Here is a piece of halysite or chain coral from the Silurian period. I saw this it the last KYANA fossil study group.

Halysites or Chain Coral

Here is a piece of chain coral or Halysites seen at the last KYANA fossil study. It was probably from a field trip taken to a Sellersburg, Indiana quarry in July/August 2008.

These creatures were probably from the Silurian period.

Halysite Pieces

Here are some new halysite pieces I found that the Louisville area cemetery the cephalopod was found at.

This points to a set of Silurian fossils.

Halysites

Here is a coral called Halycites that existed in the Silurian period. My cousin gave me this piece and I think it came from somewhere in Charlestown, Indiana. After I cleaned it up it turned somewhat white but still retains some reddish-orange look from being in clay soil.

I used the microscope to magnify a piece that fell off while cleaning that was piece of one of the walls.

Magnification is at 100 times which is a little much for a fossil. It would be nice if I had a 10x to 20x magnifier.