Furcaster palaeozoicus
Phylum Echinodermata, Subphylum Asterozoa, Class Ophiuroidea
Geological Time: Lower Devonian, Seigenian/Emsian Stage
Size (25.4 mm = 1 inch): 60 mm and 61 mm on a 209 by 256 mm matrix.
Fossil Site: Hunsruck Slate, Bundenbach Germany
Code: B005
Price: $365.00
 Description:
Well-preserved examples of a pair of Ophuroids (brittlestars) known
as Furcaster palaeozoicus. 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, future
supplies of these wonderfully-preserved benthic organisms will
only come from
existing collections. Notice the shortened arm on one of the specimens.
It is likely that this arm was in the process of being regenerated
after having been lost, perhaps to a predator. |
