fossil

Crinoid Stem Fossil (Stone)

Crinoid columnal (Class Crinoidea)

Hardness: 3 (if calcite) to 7 (if silicified); Color: Gray, tan, or brownish; Luster: Dull to sub-vitreous; Structure: Cylindrical or disk-like segments often showing a central hole or star pattern when viewed from the end.

Hardness: 3 (if calcite) to 7 (if silicified)
Color: Gray, tan, or brownish
Luster: Dull to sub-vitreous

Identified July 18, 2026More fossil →

Explore Crinoid Stem Fossil (Stone) in the encyclopedia →

Identify your own rocks.

Get a report just like this from any photo, free.

App Store Google Play

Physical properties

Formation & geological history

Formed in ancient marine environments when the skeletal sections of sea lilies (echinoderms) were buried in sediment. Most common in Paleozoic limestone deposits (250-500 million years old).

Uses & applications

Primarily for collecting, education, and occasional use in folk jewelry (known as 'St. Cuthbert's beads').

Geological facts

Crinoids are often called 'Sea Lilies' but they are actually animals related to starfish and sea urchins. Their stems are composed of stacked calcitic plates called columnals.

Field identification & locations

Identify by looking for stacked circular or star-shaped disks. Worn specimens appear as smooth, oblong pebbles with faint horizontal banding. They are commonly found in limestone creek beds and Great Lakes shorelines.

Other fossil specimens

See all

Crinoid Stem Fossil in Matrix

Phylum Echinodermata, Class Crinoidea

fossil

Sedimentary Outcrop (Sandstone/Shale)

Sedimentary bedrock formation (variable composition)

sedimentary

Chert with Fossil Brachiopod

Microcrystalline Quartz (SiO2) with Calcitic Brachiopod inclusion

sedimentary

Fossiliferous Limestone

Fossiliferous Calcilutite / Biomicrite

sedimentary

Fossilized Crinoid Stem in Limestone

Crinoidea (Class) in Calcium Carbonate (CaCO3) matrix

fossil

Fossiliferous Limestone

Limestone with embedded fossil cross-section

sedimentary