Help with ID - Exceptionally Detailed Fossil

[jimc8154]

Found this in a Quincy, IL creek bed while hunting for some geodes.

For the life of me, except of the perfect symmetry and small size (about 1" long), they look like footprints the way they overlap.
 


www.flickr.com/photos/99955771@N03/

[Pat]

I don't know. Very interesting. Reminds me of a cereal --- Puffed Wheat?

[Fossilman]

Jim,those look like leaves off a prehistoric tree...Awesome set too!Thumbs up

[jimc8154]

Kind of what I thought too, you can see what looks like a cellular structure in some of the close ups.

Thanks for enjoying the pics!

[Sabre52]

If the location were California, I'd say they were the seeds from inside palm fruits ( dates) or something similar. Look more like seeds than leaves to me....Mel

[helens]

I have nothing to add, and a fossil collector could probably ID the leaves that came from. My first thought was that the shapes look like coffee beans (from a distance, they don't up close). Very neat fossil!!

[Thunder69]

Looks more like shell imprints...Some kind of bi-valve maybe......John

[Deleted]

yeah, I was on death plate of bivalve molluscs

[jamesp]

I agree about the bivalves.

[Deleted]

Definitely not leaf prints the veining is not leaflike nor is it consistent.

Is the center "ridge" indented in the stone up lifted up?

[jakesrocks]

Don't think they're bivalves. The lines seem to have tiny holes. I'm thinking some sort of spiny seed. The softer spines would rot away, and the harder seed pod would fossilize.

[jamesp]

One of them looks turned on edge leaving what looks like a woodruff keyway (on a shaft). So the cross section looks flat and about 1/8 inch thick.

And they all seem to be in the same plane like they were laying flat ground. And the top of the rock looks like it sheared at the top of the plane of the organisms
leaving the 1/8 inch deep impressions.

That pattern is interesting. Like follicles for spines? I think you are right Don. Thinking a seed.

Will try to rack brain for seed that looks like that. This one is a cool challenge.

[tandl]

i think pentremites

[jamesp]

Usually you will see other marine organisms in a death plate. I do not see them in that one.

But that grid pattern is else where around the organisms. Could that be a skin-like that off of a seed for instance

[Deleted]

Good call Ted! Close for sure. See how the "feathers" are all different? Can Pentremites have that?



The Pentremites I can find all see very consistent in the "feathers".

[rockpickerforever]

I was thinking they looked like fusulinids, but have never seen them that large.  Found out they can be up to 2" long.  Are there any in cross-section?

[helens]

Too funny! This guy has a similar one and he calls it... giant permian coffee beans...

[jakesrocks]

The grid pattern in the host rock is a type of coral or close relative. I have a pic of it posted somewhere on here. I'll see if I can find the name.

[tandl]

those do look similar Helen. i think Picker has it with fusulinids

[helens]

tandl, I don't know what it is... got it by googling fossilized coffee beans and got a hit:). heheh.