Thursday, October 15, 2009

Devonian Monotrypa? Bryozoan

UPDATE: (8-16-2020): After reading Dave's blog entry about this type of fossil at http://viewsofthemahantango.blogspot.com/2020/08/mound-like-bryozoan-from-speed-limestone.html it is obvious this bryozoan is not Eridotyrpa (Ulrich, 1883). I found these after I joined the local geology club and we visited Speed Quarry. They are very numerous and I asked someone what they were called and got that name. Now that I have the Index Fossils for North America book by Schimer and Shrock 1944. It describes it as a bryozoan having branches. Dave suggests it might be a Monotrypa sp. (Nicholson, 1879). The research of  H. A. Nicholson (1844-1899) deserves my further attention to see if it can help identify more bryozoan fossils from this area.

Devonian Period bryozoan colonies called Eridotrypa. These fossils were found in Speed Limestone in Clark County, Indiana. The first fossil shown looks like something was boring into it.

A neat thing to show people is that some of these fossils will float in water. I suppose the small bodied creatures decomposed leaving air pockets. This porous structure is light enough to float until the cavities eventually flood.





Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Plant Fossil Seed Pod?

These pictures of fossilized plants found in St. Clair, Pennsylvania. They grew in the Pennsylvanian or Late Carboniferous Period. Geologically they can be located in the Llewellyn Formation.

I think the imprint in these pictures is some sort of seed pod. The pictures are all of the same fossil but taken at different angles.




Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Sphenophyllum Plant Fossil

These pictures of fossilized plants found in St. Clair, Pennsylvania. They grew in the Pennsylvanian or Late Carboniferous Period. Geologically they can be located in the Llewellyn Formation.

I think the plant in these pictures is called the Sphenophyllum.