Polished Coral from Dominica

Unidentified coral that has been sectioned and polished found in Dominica by a geology class in 2005.

This fossil is on display at the geology department at Indiana University Southeast (IUS) of New Albany, Indiana as of August 2013.

Cheirurus niagarensis Trilobite pygidium

This is the first time I have found this part of the trilobite Cheirurus niagarensis (Hall).  It is the tail or pygidium section of the trilobite. It will be interesting to see how much of it is intact after it has been cleaned with sand abrasion. Fossil was found in the Waldron Shale of Clark County, Indiana, USA. It is dated to the Silurian Period.

Here is an illustration from the 1881 Indiana Department of Geology and Natural History Eleventh Annual Report by John Collett State Geologist Plate 34 Figure 16 Ceraurus (Chierurus) niagarensis trilobite pygidium.

Next picture is from a paper on Silurian trilobites.

Image from Figure 3 and 5 - photo by George Nelson

New and Old Silurian Trilobites from Southeastern Wisconsin, with

Notes on the Genera of the Illaenidae

by Percy E. Raymond

Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard College

Volume LX No. 1 - January 1916

Last picture is of fossil found that has ruler with it for scale.

Fungi That Looks Like a Horn Coral

These fungi are growing on a doormat outside the house. After some research they appear to be Cyathus striatus? fungi (aka fluted bird's nest). Relative small growing maybe 1 cm in size. They have a funnel shape though some sites describe as cup shaped. Inside the cub are some gray spores that resemble eggs thus the bird's nest reference. So not quite a fossil but they remind me of small horn coral fossils once they fully open up.

Thanks to this web site for helping me find a visual identification. Learn more at Rogers Mushrooms web site or wikipedia.org or mushroomexpert.com.