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  • #36372
    Charlie Smith
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    Hello Nathan,

    First of all, nice Brachiopod; I like how its perched on the matrix.  After searching on fossilworks.org for Rhynchonellata (Brachiopods) in the Tonoloway Limestone from West Virginia, it revealed 4 species: H. congregata, C. litchfieldensis, S. zanuxemi, and S. keyserensis. The last two species, both belonging to the genus Spirifer, seem to be the most likely candidates. Spirifer often shows a broad sulcus in the middle of the brachiopod, which is also shown in your fossil.  Out of these two species, I believe its Spirifer keyserensis, as Spirifer zanuxemi has been compared to a slightly more common Brachiopod, Spirifer cyclopterous, in this paper. However, the same paper contrasts the 2 by stating S. zanuxemi has less plications than S. cyclopterous.  Judging from this Yale specimen, S. Cyclopterous has much fewer plications than your fossil, so I doubt it is S. zanuxemi.

    #35490
    Charlie Smith
    Participant

    I have to agree with Evan, that this just a rock.  If it was found in some of the northeast or norhwest states in the US, or in Canada, It could be a rock known as Tillite.  Tillite is a sedimentary rock formed when a glacier scrapes accross a land area, and deposits previously erroded material from elsewhere.  The pink dot could be a drop stone, which is often found in Tillites.  This photo: https://www.mindat.org/forum.php?file,11,file=71891 of a dropstone found in Ontario, Canada looks very similar to the one you posted, but a bit larger.  Even though it may not be a fossil, it is still a pretty interesting rock sample.

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