ID help please :)

[YuconCarneleous]

Hi guys and gals, I like to fossil hunt once in awhile and was actually looking for arrowheads when I found this, I suspect it might be coral of some sort but thought id'e leave it to the experts. Found in Missouri by the way.

 

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[civil_war22]

Honestly looks like a small stalactite or stalagmite. Has the same patina looking grunge associated with the calcium buildup during their making. It’s not uncommon to find them in Missouri, and over here in Arkansas. I’ve found a few points here near northwest Arkansas that they had broken off, and attempted to make points out of.

 

[Indian Steve]

I believe that it is horn coral. Nice Find!

 

[YuconCarneleous]

Honestly looks like a small stalactite or stalagmite. Has the same patina looking grunge associated with the calcium buildup during their making. It’s not uncommon to find them in Missouri, and over here in Arkansas. I’ve found a few points here near northwest Arkansas that they had broken off, and attempted to make points out of.

Yeah i know what you mean, it does have the same look and texture as a stalagmite as i have one at home, but im thinking it is more like Indian Steve says it is for the fact that it is curled on the end and the striations on the end. You sound a lot like me though and hunt for everything, I have a nice metal detector and hunt with that as well

 

[YuconCarneleous]

I believe that it is horn coral. Nice Find!

It may be, i'll have to look that one up, thank you.

 

[YuconCarneleous]

Oh, definitely correct. Looks just like the pictures i'm looking at.

 

[Indian Steve]

I found a lot of them mixed in with crinoid fossils on my grandparents farm in southern Indiana when I was a young man{ 103 years ago}

 

[Fossils]

That is definitely a fossil horn coral! Your fossil dates back to the Devonian Period, and is likely between 400-250 million years old. Here's a site where you can read up more about it: https://www.britannica.com/animal/horn-coral

Congrats on the find!