Rock Identifier

fossil

Crinoid Stem Fossil

Crinoid columnal (Phylum Echinodermata)

AI-generated identification · may be incorrect

Hardness of 3 on the Mohs scale, gray to brownish color, dull to vitreous luster, hexagonal or pentagonal crystal symmetry in individual plates, specific gravity around 2.7.

Identified November 7, 2026More fossil →

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Physical properties

Hardness of 3 on the Mohs scale, gray to brownish color, dull to vitreous luster, hexagonal or pentagonal crystal symmetry in individual plates, specific gravity around 2.7.

Formation & geological history

Formed through the fossilization of marine invertebrate stems in shallow Paleozoic and Mesozoic seas, dating back 480 to 250 million years.

Uses & applications

Valued as educational tools, decorative items, lapidary projects, and prized specimens for fossil collectors.

Geological facts

Commonly known as 'Indian beads' or 'St. Cuthbert's beads' in folklore, these fossils often weather out of limestone beds.

Field identification & locations

Easily identified by their distinctive disk-like shapes and central canal; found worldwide in ancient marine limestone formations.

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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

Fossil oyster shell (Oyster (family Ostreidae); shell composed chiefly of calcite (CaCO₃)) — fossil

Fossil oyster shell

Oyster (family Ostreidae); shell composed chiefly of calcite (CaCO₃)