I’ve got an interesting … um… well… thing … that I’d like to identify a bit. Piccies to come.
NOTE: Despite the calendar date, this is not a joke.
As for provenance, it was found on our property in NE MO in one of the stream beds. There is a lot of this type of rock around here. The pointy thingies that I am looking to identify look to me to be some sort of plant configuration - like the unfolding parts of a bud, like artichoke, but of course, it would be something that was under water. It is very clearly different from the rest of the rock, and the texture of the formation is not crystalline at all. It looks rather like the tail end of some odd turtle, though, of course it’s not. The edges of the longer, central point have a ridge running along the length, a bit inside of the actual edge. There appears to be a similar specimen a few inches away from the exposed one. The ends of the points are slightly curved in toward what appears to be the center.
This particular rock has parts that are absolutely full of crinoid stems, some that are very smooth, and this particular chunk has an obvious, thick seam that includes some interesting deep hollows. Unusual. We have loads and loads of fossils of seabed stuff, with shells etc, but this is the first item of this type we’ve found.
With a degree in geology I will offer my non-professional opinion. The rock doesn’t look sedimentary from what I can see in the photos. If that is the case, what you are pointing at is most likely crystals of a mineral. It looks like the kind of igneous rock where you might find gem stones.
I’d agree with Doug. Looks like a mineral inclusion/crystal to me.
For the record. Casey Burns the flute maker is quite a serious amateur paleontologist. His special interest is echinoderms (hence the little starfish on his flute logos). He has published research papers and whatnot.
I’m a rock lover myself and look forward to the day when I can get over to his place to look at fossils and toot tooters.
The one semester of invertebrate paleontology I took years ago doesn’t give me much to go on. Too bad we can’t see more of the shape.
If this item is in the same rock matrix where you see the crinoid stems, this could be the weathered calyx of a crinoid. Usually only the stem sections survive in recognizable form, but here is an example of a well preserved one. Note the calyx just above the stem. The shape and form vary somewhat.
If the angular form is real, it may also be a blastoid, which were comtemporary with the crinoids. Here are some examples. Some of these might weather out to give the angular shapes.
Have a local school of geology nearby? You could call and see if one of the resident paleontologists would be willing to look at your photos online. (You could call any school in the country, of course, but I think they might have more interest in and be more knowledgeable about local fossils.)
