Help with identification.

[Jowlz]

I'm not sure what to make of this. I found it while hunting arrowheads/axes etc. It was found in an area where native americans had a camp. It was found in the water. It is stone and heavy. Not fragile. I am not well versed in fossils. Any ideas? The holes are strange and go in from every direction.

 

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[Red-Coat]

Neat fossils.

Those are crinoid stem sections (more properly known as columnals) or rather the casts thereof after the fossil has eroded out of the matrix.



Those with columnar 'stalks' are sometimes called 'sea lilies' because of their resemblance to plants, but they're marine animals loosely related to starfish and sea urchins. These types first appear in the fossil record during the Ordovician period around 480 million years ago. They're not extinct today, but there are no fossils more recent than 200 million years.

 

[Jowlz]

Thanks! I wasn't sure if it was a fossil or I was looking at drill marks. The fossil has egg cases all over it from the creek and some oraganic material in the holes. What's the best way to clean it out so I can display?

 

[Red-Coat]

I would just use a small amount of dishwashing liquid and a soft toothbrush followed by a rinse under the tap.

 

[Professor of Engineering]

Cool find, congrats!