fossilera: 13.8" Platycrinites Crinoid Plate - Crawfordsville, IndianaThis is a really spec

fossilera:

13.8" Platycrinites Crinoid Plate - Crawfordsville, Indiana

This is a really spectacular plate of three very 3D Platycrinites crinoids from the famous crinoid beds near Crawfordsville, Indiana. The entire piece of limestone measures 13.8 x 6.3" . There are three fantastically preserved crowns present, one with a long section of stem still attached. This piece was collected this past summer and prepared under microscope using air abrasives.

It is believed that crinoids from the Ramp Creek Limestone were buried in sediment from nearby deltas during storms. The resulting siltstone deposits are soft enough that fossils can be extracted in exquisite, three-dimensional relief.

Crinoids, sometimes commonly referred to as sea lilies, are animals, not plants. They are echinoderms related to starfish, sea urchins, and brittle stars. Many crinoid traits are like other members of their phylum. Such traits include tube feet, radial symmetry, a water vascular system, and appendages in multiples of five (pentameral). They first appeared in the Ordovician (488 million years ago) and some species are still alive today.

Source: https://www.fossilera.com/fossils/13-8-platycrinites-crinoid-plate-crawfordsville-indiana