Friday, December 29, 2017

Crinoid Holdfast on Dead Crinoid Stem

This pictures show a crinoid holdfast growing on the side of a fallen crinoid stem. The fossils were found in the New Providence Formation of Scott County, Indiana USA. The fossils date to the Mississippian Period. Thanks to Kenny for the images.





Tuesday, December 26, 2017

Divaricella quadrisulcata Sea Shell


These pictures are not of fossils but of a modern day bivalve. It is a cross-hatched lucine (Divaricella quadrisulcata Orbigny 1842). I am posting it because of the unique pattern of its shell. It reminds me of a Waldron Shale brachiopod fossil Dictyonella reticulata not that they have similar patterns but that they have such distinct patterns. Once you see a shell like this, you know what it is because of its unique pattern.

This shell was found on Folly Beach South Carolina USA in August 2017.  See this site for help with shell identifications:

https://www.mitchellspublications.com/guides/shells/articles/pictorial/

Monday, December 25, 2017

Merry Fossil Christmas 2017

This year's Christmas greeting image was created with specimens from two locations.

The star (thin section of crinoid stem), trunk (eroded crinoid stem), circular ornament (button coral) and drop shaped ornament (anchor crinoid stem) were obtained from the Devonian Period Jeffersonville/Beechwood/Speed Limestone of Clark County, Indiana USA. The anchor crinoid is a Ancyrocrinus sp. found in the Beechwood Limestone and the button coral is a Hadrophyllum orbignyi from the Speed Limestone.

The tree portion is an Atlantic Auger gastropod shell (Terebra dislocata) and the small fragment ornament is a broken piece of a sea urchin. Both of these specimens were found at Folly Beach near Charleston South Carolina, USA.


To visitors of this blog, I wish you a Merry Christmas and hope the new year brings you new finds in search for fossils in the world around you.