Foerstephyllum Coral Fossil

Foerstephyllum sp. (Bassler, 1941) coral fossil from the Upper Ordovician Period limestone of Spencer County, Kentucky. This coral is in the phylum Cnidaria.

 

 

Thanks to Mary Ann for letting me photograph this fossil.

Ancyrocrinus Crinoid

The Ancyrocrinus spinosus? crinoid from the Middle Devonian Period (406-385 million years ago). These crinoids were found in North Vernon Limestone, Beechwood Member. The location is Speed, Indiana (Clark County).

This crinoid was unique in that it had this holdfast anchor or grapple shape that snagged on rocks or other seabed objects. The benefits could be the crinoid is more mobile and less likely to get buried in sea storms.

Classification of this crinoid would be Class: Crinoidea, Order: Cladida, Family: Botryocrinidae (Thanks to the Cochise College Geology page for that info).

The first picture shows a more unique configuration with a double prong on one side of the holdfast.  Usually I find them with four prongs and they about 90 degrees apart.  All of the specimens here were found by my friend Mary Ann.

 

  

  

  

Here is one I found in 2008 at Speed, Indiana.

Here is another posted in the KYANA Geological Society website with its prongs mostly intact.

Unknown Devonian Period Fossil

I am not sure what this fossil is. It was found in Speed Quarry, Clark County, Indiana in Jeffersonville(?) Limestone. It is a Devonian Period fossil. The first picture reminds me of a stone flower with the petals radiating out. Maybe it is some sort of tube coral?  It reminds me of a Pleurodictyum cf. P. problematicum Goldfuss shown on pages 82-83 (figure 6) in the Fossils of Ohio book.

Thanks to Mary Ann for letting me photograph it.

UPDATE: I got a message from the nice people at the Indiana Geological Survey (IGS) and they write it does appear to be a Pleurodictyum problematicum. Thanks to the IGS for that information.