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Natural Science Forum / Biology / Paleontology / February 2005Help identifying possible invertebrate fossil!
Dear all, This cheeky chappie was given to me by a great uncle about ten years ago, with another specimen of the same size and shape, which I have not photographed. The provenance is most probably from the former Soviet Union or Iran - great aunt was a diplomat based in both Moscow and Teheran at some point in the '70s and '80s. They went to other places as well, but these are the most probable countries of origin for the rock. It's heavy rock, and displays ribbing here and there and what seem to be growth rings, on close inspection. I figure it is some sort of coral, but I know very little about coral and the like. I'd be grateful for any hints as to what this is and how long ago it used to live. If there is something I should do to aid recognition, please someone let me know, although getting very clear pictures closer up may tax me a little. Here is the front face: http://photos1.blogger.com/img/53/1945/1024/what_am_I-.jpg (large) http://photos1.blogger.com/img/53/1945/400/what_am_I-.jpg (small) Here is the back side (showing the vertical ribs): http://photos1.blogger.com/img/53/1945/1024/what-is-this-back-.jpg (large) http://photos1.blogger.com/img/53/1945/400/what-is-this-back-.jpg (small) This is it side-on, standing up (some of the concentric rings are visible): http://photos1.blogger.com/img/53/1945/1024/what-am-I-side-.jpg (large) http://photos1.blogger.com/img/53/1945/400/what-am-I-side-.jpg (small) OK, here you can see the vertical ribbing more: http://photos1.blogger.com/img/53/1945/1024/what-is-this-ribbing-.jpg (large) http://photos1.blogger.com/img/53/1945/400/what-is-this-ribbing-.jpg (small) And here again the broader ribbing - seems to be two sizes of little ribs, those about 10-15mm wide and those about 1-2 mm wide. http://photos1.blogger.com/img/53/1945/1024/what_am_I-lying-down-.jpg (large) http://photos1.blogger.com/img/53/1945/400/what_am_I-lying-down-.jpg (small) This is the top (or bottom) end showing, though not very clearly, concentric internal structure: http://photos1.blogger.com/img/53/1945/1024/what-is-this-top-.jpg (large) http://photos1.blogger.com/img/53/1945/400/what-is-this-top-.jpg (small) Any help gratefully received. I am looking forward to learning! Cheers, Stelios  SignatureThe address in the headers is real and does not need de-mungeing > Dear all, > [quoted text clipped - 58 lines] > Cheers, > Stelios That is an interesting specimen. I have a friend who is a coral expert. I will send him a copy of your posts, and see if he can figure out what it is, and see if he can figure out what it is. Is there any way that you can clean it up any? Possibly scrub it with a toothbrush and water. Do you know what it is made of? You said it is heavy, but that really isn't any help. Does it fizz when exposed to a little hydrochloric acid? What is its hardness? Will it scratch a knife blade, or is it softer than a knife blade. If you scratch it against an unglazed tile, what color is the streak that is left? Any additional information you can give would be helpful. >That is an interesting specimen. I have a friend who is a coral expert. I will >send him a copy of your posts, and see if he can figure out what it is, and see [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] >unglazed tile, what color is the streak that is left? Any additional >information you can give would be helpful. George, Thanks for your interest - tonight I will follow your instructions. The white patina on what-is-this-back-.jpg and what-is-this-ribbing-.jpg looks unscrubbable to me, and when I say heavy rock - I meant it feels as heavy as a piece of limestone of the same size would. I have a hunch it will fizz in the hydrochloric, but don't know until I try. I'll do all the other tests as well tonight. The other specimen - I said I have two of these - has some quartzy looking material in the cavity. OK - more news tomorrow. Stelios SignatureThe address in the headers is real and does not need de-mungeing >That is an interesting specimen. I have a friend who is a coral expert. I will >send him a copy of your posts, and see if he can figure out what it is, and see >if he can figure out what it is. Is there any way that you can clean it up any? >Possibly scrub it with a toothbrush and water. I have scrubbed it with a brush with bristles tougher than a toothbrush - the stone was "clean" of mud and dirt and clay already. >Do you know what it is made of? You said it is heavy, but that really isn't any help. >Does it fizz when exposed to a little hydrochloric acid? I am pretty sure it's a carbonate... it fizzes when cotton wool soaked in hydrochloric is rubbed on it. >What is its hardness? Will it scratch a knife >blade, or is it softer than a knife blade. If you scratch it against an >unglazed tile, what color is the streak that is left? It will not scratch a knife blade, but is scratched by the knife. The other one with the quartzy stuff in the cavity will scratch the knife blade with the quarty side, but not with the cone side - ie the part which is similar to the photographed specimen. On a ceramic tile, it leaves a colourless streak. >Any additional information you can give would be helpful. There is no more I can think of to tell about it. I don't have a decent digital camera for taking better photos, but I can arrange for this (it will take time) if it will help. Cheers, Stelios SignatureThe address in the headers is real and does not need de-mungeing > Dear all, > [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > recognition, please someone let me know, although getting very > clear pictures closer up may tax me a little. Thanks for the well-done photographs. I'd vote for a bivalve of the genus Hippurites. It was one of the strangest bivalves that ever existed - it has one huge cylindrical elongated shell, the other is just a flat "lid" on top of it - usually this part is lost. They "grew" upright with the narrower part of the cylindrical shell fixed on the sea floor. They sometimes occur in large numbers like reefs. Most of them are of Cretaceous age, after which they were extincted like the Dinosaurs and Ammonites. For photographs, see: http://www.geol.unipd.it/virtual_fossils/Phyla/Mollusca/Mol_generi/Hippurites.htm http://www.geocities.com/arturchahud/mesofossil.html http://www.darmstadt.gmd.de/Museum/HLMD/riff.html Cheers, Christof SignatureChristof Kuhn geologie@8ung.at http://www.8ung.at/geologie/ >> Dear all, >> This cheeky chappie was given to me by a great uncle about ten [quoted text clipped - 28 lines] > http://www.geocities.com/arturchahud/mesofossil.html > http://www.darmstadt.gmd.de/Museum/HLMD/riff.html By George, I think he's done it. The common term is "rudist". >>> Dear all, >>> This cheeky chappie was given to me by a great uncle about ten [quoted text clipped - 29 lines] > > By George, I think he's done it. The common term is "rudist". That's the closest I've seen to it. My friend hasn't contacted me yet to see what he thinks, so for the time being, I'd go with the description, above. >>>> Dear all, >>>> This cheeky chappie was given to me by a great uncle about ten [quoted text clipped - 32 lines] >That's the closest I've seen to it. My friend hasn't contacted me yet to see >what he thinks, so for the time being, I'd go with the description, above. Great uncle did mention something about a lid - although he was convinced it was some sort of rhino horn, himself (!). I'm happy with this identification - many thanks to everyone who had a look. Stelios SignatureThe address in the headers is real and does not need de-mungeing |
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