Name: Codiacrinus schultzei
Phylum Echinodermata; Order Cladida; Family Codiacrinidae
Geological Time: Lower Devonian Seigenian/Emsian Stage
Size (25.4mm=1 inch): Calyx: 45 mm by 30 mm with 45 mm stem attached on a 198 by 157 mm matrix
Fossil Site: Hunsruck Slate, Bundenbach, Germany
 This
exceptionally well preserved specimen is the Cladid crinoid known
as Codiacrinus schultzei. 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 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, fossils
of these wonderfully preserved benthic organisms will only come from
existing collections. This one is quite complete, and includes an
attached section of stem. Its pyritization serves as an artistic counterpoint
to the rich black slate, making for a truly striking fossil. |
