Coral

Couple of odd shaped halves glued together for a display twist.
It is a shame the polyps are rarely preserved clearly like Indo corals.
I was hoping to find a location with well defined polyps.

Much of the Fl/Ga coral has stayed underwater and probably never experienced a freeze or violent tectonic conditions.
Fractures from freezing and impacts are few and far.



Ghost polyps and tubes

Another benefit of being a river rat. Coral made sharp points. These are a few found on the Suwannee.
The oldest is the Edgefield at upper left. Not broken but a transitional Paleo knife form.

The rivers in Florida were mere creeks at the end of the last ice age when mammoths roamed with man.
Ice age era camps are found on the bottom of these rivers. Some have found Paleo points.
Hope not to walk up on one of these Paleo guys.



Note the coral thumbprint. Coral points are often identifiable by that surface texture.
Coral points are found 300 miles away in Atlanta and likely further. Upstream at that and had to be carried verses by raft.

Limestone shelf overhangs that finally fell into the river after the limestone below them was dissolved away by the tannic acid river water. The coral was anchored or rooted on top of these shelf rocks. This is the Suwannee flowing thru downtown White Springs. Put in at the boat ramp off of HWY 129 on north side of town. Kayak/canoe ride an easy 1/4 to 1/2 mile to these locations. Water flow below 200 cubic feet per second required for collecting.



Probably 5 feet deep at the deepest spot.



Not sure what age the fossil bearing layer under the shelf limestone is.



A few loose corals



River bottom ground spring, water 100% drinkable. A hot spot for artifacts.



Time to drag the boat upstream. Take a lightweight boat !



Ruins of an old bath house. Flowing spring, be aware of Native man's artifacts including 100+ year old mineral water bottles.



Silicified oysters can be beautiful sawn specimens. They could be over a foot long back in those days.



Other misc. fossils that I did not pursue and should have.

Thanks, jamesp. I need this. I have a shelf of coral and want to know more about the individuals. You started my interest, and I thank you! Hmm, and bryozoans!

Feel free to post them here Pat. You always liked your sea creatures. Especially the bryozoans.
Have you talked with Scott Solar recently ? Last I heard he was moving to Colorado.

James, that was an excellent write-up and description for a great collecting trip. The outdoors is a great place to find quality experiences and a lot of memories.

good to know. I came across a good little supply of it my grandpa left me. Always wondered where it was from.

jamesp
Does this look like a coral with clam borings?
One side and the other.



Here’s some more. They are often loaded with oolites.



This is the only onee I have found with darker fill material.






I have over 100 of these from my land.
Thanks.

The great outdoors is what it is all about Victor and this country has a wealth of pristine wilderness that few people take advantage of.
I rarely see another person when covering 10 to 20 miles on these rivers. Very few people use these breathtakingly beautiful resources.
The great urban movement has left the great outdoors in peace and available to those that want to enjoy it. The younger generations are starting to get it. They are even producing all kinds of new fandangled off road vehicles and watercraft to reach the outskirts of wilderness. Many are battery operated and don't make a sound.