Ron E. Posted July 14, 2009 Share Posted July 14, 2009 This bad boy was sticking out the thin end of a big limestone slab. My simple question: does the big end go up or down? I'm going to be showing it off in my cubicle to fellow fossil geeks, inquiring minds want to know... Here's the view before I extracted it from the heavily crystallized limestone Here's the view of the arm stubs, they're all pointing in the same direction. What's the verdict, O Fossil Experts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted July 14, 2009 Share Posted July 14, 2009 Seems to me it should be arms up. "There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley >Paleontology is an evolving science. >May your wonders never cease! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest solius symbiosus Posted July 15, 2009 Share Posted July 15, 2009 Those protrusions look more like cirri than arms. It would help to see the whole thing to put it in context. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Dactyll Posted July 15, 2009 Share Posted July 15, 2009 WOW.... that is a 'bigun'.... Cheers Steve... And Welcome if your a New Member... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shamalama Posted July 15, 2009 Share Posted July 15, 2009 If those are arms, they get pointed up... unless they are roots in which case they go down..... or if they are cirri then they go sideways. -Dave __________________________________________________ Geologists on the whole are inconsistent drivers. When a roadcut presents itself, they tend to lurch and weave. To them, the roadcut is a portal, a fragment of a regional story, a proscenium arch that leads their imaginations into the earth and through the surrounding terrain. - John McPheeIf I'm going to drive safely, I can't do geology. - John McPheeCheck out my Blog for more fossils I've found: http://viewsofthemahantango.blogspot.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Menser Posted July 15, 2009 Share Posted July 15, 2009 Pic 2 actually looks more like a monster from a 1950's Sci-Fi movie (remember the big blood sucking snails?). Nice fossil. Is that calcite they are sticking out of? Be true to the reality you create. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest solius symbiosus Posted July 15, 2009 Share Posted July 15, 2009 If those are arms, They are not arms. How could they be? Courtesy of Charles Messing's Crinoid Pages Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron E. Posted July 15, 2009 Author Share Posted July 15, 2009 Pic 2 actually looks more like a monster from a 1950's Sci-Fi movie (remember the big blood sucking snails?).Nice fossil. Is that calcite they are sticking out of? More pics: It's whatever limestone crystallizes into, quartz, I believe. Thanks for your help, folks. A stab at the species would rock, too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tr-J-K Posted July 16, 2009 Share Posted July 16, 2009 It's whatever limestone crystallizes into, quartz, I believe. Limestone, being calcium carbonate, should crystalize into calcite. Quartz is basically pure silica. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crinus Posted July 16, 2009 Share Posted July 16, 2009 What you have there is the holdfast (root system). In that case they would be pointed downwards. Cirri do not necessarily point in any specific direction. My avatar crinoid has lots of cirri and they all point up. This is only because it was rapidly buried in a storm. Otherwise they woiuld be random, but you do not have cirri. cirnus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron E. Posted July 16, 2009 Author Share Posted July 16, 2009 Limestone, being calcium carbonate, should crystalize into calcite. Quartz is basically pure silica. Thanks for the info. Wasn't aware of that. And thanks, crinus, for identifying as holdfasts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron E. Posted July 19, 2009 Author Share Posted July 19, 2009 Here are some sharper pics, taken with my new camera Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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