Name: Hapalocrinus innoxius
Age: Lower Devonian, Seigenian/Emsian Stage
Size: (25.4mm=1 inch): Crown: 95 mm across Stem: 120 mm long on a 345 by 265 mm matrix.
Location: Hunsruck Slate, Bundenbach Germany
Code: B009
Price: $375.00 - Sold
 Description:
Well-preserved example of a Camerate crinoid of the Family Hapalocrinidae
known as Hapalocrinus innoxius. The Hunsruck slate is famous for its
fossils, many of which have pyritization present. Rapid burial and
pyritization was what led to the many wonderful examples of early
Devonian life from the region. The chemistry of the silt was such
that low organic content and high levels of iron and sulfur allowed
the pyrite to diffuse into the tissues rather than be deposited in
the sediment. The pyritization of this one is quite extensive, making
for an esthetic display piece. The mudstones were metamorphosed into
slate during the Carboniferous. The slate was quarried for roofing
tiles, and the quarrymen would save the fossils for later sale. Now
that the quarries are no longer open, future supplies of these wonderfully-preserved
benthic organisms will only come from existing collections. The extensiive
pyritization of the pinnules, crown, and stem lends a dramatic touch
to this well-articulated specimen which dominates its large slate
plaque. There are a few other fossils present, one of which may be
a crinoid holdfast. |
