Roz Posted November 9, 2007 Share Posted November 9, 2007 I found this at a hunt that was in the Finis Shale. It is Pennsylvanian in age. Could it be coral? Your help is appreciated. It seems like it is going through the entire rock. Sorry there is no scale but they are tiny. Welcome to the forum! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebrocklds Posted November 9, 2007 Share Posted November 9, 2007 roz, it is hard to see fine detail in the photo but its branching pattern looks like it could be a twiggy bryozoan. look closely and see if there are many tiny pores. if so then it is definately a bryozoan. if it has lines and rings then it could be a type of coral. i believe both can be found in the pennsylvanian. nice piece. brock Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members geofossil Posted November 9, 2007 Members Share Posted November 9, 2007 roz, it is hard to see fine detail in the photo but its branching pattern looks like it could be a twiggy bryozoan. look closely and see if there are many tiny pores. if so then it is definately a bryozoan. if it has lines and rings then it could be a type of coral. i believe both can be found in the pennsylvanian. nice piece. brock Agreed. It's a rhombopora bryozoan. This is a 'general' term to describe a genus of bryozoan that didn't vary much in the Upper Paleozoic. Usually however, Rhombopora is most common in the latest Carboniferous... before the Carboniferous/Permian boundary. I'd assume (perhaps wrongly) that if it was found in Permian deposits then it was early Permian. Was it found 'in situ' in the strata or was it found as a loose piece of rubble? If loose then it might actually be latest Carboniferous. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebrocklds Posted November 9, 2007 Share Posted November 9, 2007 geo, it was in the pennsylvanian (late carboniferous). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roz Posted November 9, 2007 Author Share Posted November 9, 2007 Yes, it was found loose and thanks to you both for the ID! I can mark it now.... Welcome to the forum! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkfoam Posted November 10, 2007 Share Posted November 10, 2007 Roz, Can you post a couple of more pics of your fossil. To me it resembles the Tabulate coral, Cladochonus texasensis. If you have a copy of "Invertebrate Fossils" by Moore, Lalicker, and Fischer, check out the illustration on page 134. Also, on the web at http://www.futuremuseum.co.uk/Default.aspx?Id=438 is an example of the Genus. It may very well be the bryozoan Rhombopora but from your photo I don't see a rhombic pattern or a geometric pattern tro the aperatures or zooeciums (sp?) or for that matter that many zooeciums. JKFoam The Eocene is my favorite Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebrocklds Posted November 10, 2007 Share Posted November 10, 2007 Roz,Can you post a couple of more pics of your fossil. To me it resembles the Tabulate coral, Cladochonus texasensis. If you have a copy of "Invertebrate Fossils" by Moore, Lalicker, and Fischer, check out the illustration on page 134. Also, on the web at http://www.futuremuseum.co.uk/Default.aspx?Id=438 is an example of the Genus. It may very well be the bryozoan Rhombopora but from your photo I don't see a rhombic pattern or a geometric pattern tro the aperatures or zooeciums (sp?) or for that matter that many zooeciums. JKFoam i am leaning towards coral as well. after several more looks at the picture i am not seeing the pores that should be very prevelent in a bryozoan. also i think that i am seeing a few growth rings on some of the branches. close up pictures would answer the question. brock Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roz Posted November 14, 2007 Author Share Posted November 14, 2007 Sorry that I have been slow, but just saw these posts today. Sure hope this shot is clear enough to tell for sure. Please let me know if this isn't good enough and I will try again. Thanks Oh, I just went to that link and it looks exactly like the Cladochoners Giganticus. Thanks Welcome to the forum! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkfoam Posted November 14, 2007 Share Posted November 14, 2007 Roz, I'm glad the link helped. I think your specimen is the genus "Cladochonus" but I doubt that the specie is "giganticus". More probable is the ID Cladichonus texasensis.. Its a nice example of a Tabulate coral. JKFoam The Eocene is my favorite Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Murphy Posted December 19, 2007 Share Posted December 19, 2007 Roz: In looking at the first photograph of the whole specimen in the matrix, I agree that it is probably Cladochonus texasensis, which is a common tabulate branching type colonial coral (along with Syringopora sp.) in the Missourian and Ciscoan marine strata in North Texas. The branches and limbs appear to be too robust for Syringopora, however. It is definitely not a rhomboporan bryozoan. You have a specimen of Syringopora sp. in photograph 6 (next to bottom specimen) on your DPS field trip(11-11-07) page to the Finis Shale in Jacksboro. By the way, I was the man in the red shirt and cap with Lance, Keith Minor and you at the Goodland site at Oliver Creek and ater at the Pawpaw near Robson Ranch. I always enjoy this trip. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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