A starfish ? A cluster of worm tracks ? A cluster of plant roots ?

diggerdeeper · Jun 22, 2020

I found this unusual looking specimen while traveling through central PA this past weekend.
My first impression was of a couple of starfish, but not sure. The area where this was found is known for ordovician era fossils like shells, corals and trilobites.
Any thoughts or ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Fossils · Jun 22, 2020

Your fossil reminds me of various types of fossil animal burrows. One very common type of burrow are fossil worm burrows, which span many geologic time periods. One common type of Ordovician worm burrow comes from the genus Thalassinoides.
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Jason in Enid · Jun 22, 2020

Always remember to included something for scale reference in your pics. Have to guess at size, but it could be burrow casts, could be filled cracks, could just be mineral intrusion. I dont see anything that says "fossil" (other than possible ichnofossil) in your rocks

diggerdeeper · Jun 23, 2020

Sorry for not providing any way of judging the scale.
I've posted a few more photos.
I've also included a photo pulled off the net of a complete specimen that shows some similarities to what I have.
Unfortunately, there is no size reference for the photo pulled from the internet.
Hopefully this helps. I did notice that in spots one can see a pattern that would suggest a surface texture...of something.
And I can understand how this could indeed be an example of an "ichnofossil", as starfish seem to be relatively soft bodied. This could be a situation where the body disappeared leaving only an impression later filled by minerals.