fossil

Crinoid Stem Fossil

Crinoid columnal (Phylum Echinodermata)

Hardness of 3 on Mohs scale due to calcium carbonate composition. Displays characteristic circular or pentagonal disks with a central hole.

Identified October 17, 2026More fossil →

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Physical properties

Hardness of 3 on Mohs scale due to calcium carbonate composition. Displays characteristic circular or pentagonal disks with a central hole.

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

Used widely by fossil collectors, educational institutions, and occasionally in lapidary jewelry crafting.

Often called 'Indian beads' or 'fairy money' in folklore, crinoids are related to modern starfish and sea urchins.

Easily identified by their stacked disc-like segments and characteristic symmetry. Commonly found in limestone and shale deposits worldwide.

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

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)

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