Rock Identifier

fossil

Crinoid Stem Fossil

Crinoid columnal (Echinodermata)

AI-generated identification · may be incorrect

Hardness of 3 on Mohs scale due to calcite composition. Usually gray, white, or brownish with a distinct circular or star-shaped central lumen and disk-like segmented structure.

Identified October 17, 2026More fossil →

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Physical properties

Hardness of 3 on Mohs scale due to calcite composition. Usually gray, white, or brownish with a distinct circular or star-shaped central lumen and disk-like segmented structure.

Formation & geological history

Formed through the fossilization of marine invertebrate stem segments, commonly dating from the Ordovician to the Carboniferous periods in ancient shallow seas.

Uses & applications

Used primarily as educational specimens, in amateur fossil collecting, and occasionally crafted into decorative jewelry or worry stones.

Geological facts

Often referred to as 'Indian bead' fossils or 'st. cuthbert's beads', these fossils were historically strung into necklaces in medieval Europe.

Field identification & locations

Easily identified by their coin-like stack appearance and radial internal symmetry. Found worldwide in Paleozoic and Mesozoic limestone formations.

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Probable fossil-bearing rock or mineral concretion (Unidentified carbonate-rich concretion with a possible fossil inclusion) — fossil

Probable fossil-bearing rock or mineral concretion

Unidentified carbonate-rich concretion with a possible fossil inclusion

Likely fossil oyster shell (Fossilized bivalve shell; exact species cannot be identified from the image) — fossil

Likely fossil oyster shell

Fossilized bivalve shell; exact species cannot be identified from the image

Crinoid Stem Fossil in Matrix (Phylum Echinodermata, Class Crinoidea) — fossil

Crinoid Stem Fossil in Matrix

Phylum Echinodermata, Class Crinoidea

Fossiliferous limestone (likely a crinoidal or shell-fragment limestone) (Bioclastic limestone, composed chiefly of calcite (CaCO₃)) — sedimentary

Fossiliferous limestone (likely a crinoidal or shell-fragment limestone)

Bioclastic limestone, composed chiefly of calcite (CaCO₃)

Porous limestone pebble (Calcite-rich limestone (primarily CaCO₃); exact identification is uncertain from the image) — sedimentary

Porous limestone pebble

Calcite-rich limestone (primarily CaCO₃); exact identification is uncertain from the image

Weathered fossil bone fragment (identification uncertain) (Fossilized bone; exact taxon and mineral composition cannot be determined from the image) — fossil

Weathered fossil bone fragment (identification uncertain)

Fossilized bone; exact taxon and mineral composition cannot be determined from the image