{"product_id":"crinoid-stem-fragment-fossil-morocco","title":"Crinoid Stem Fragment - Fossil Specimen","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eLocality\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e: likely Erfoud–Rissani \/ Tafilalt, Morocco\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eEra\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e:\u003cspan\u003e (Late Cambrian-Early Ordovician Period) Paleozoic Era\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003eGeological Age\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e:\u003cstrong\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003eApproximately\u003cstrong\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003e485 million years\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDescription\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cstrong\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003eThis fossilized crinoid stem fragment dates back an extraordinary 485 million years to the early Paleozoic Era, when the seas teemed with strange, soft-bodied life and early coral reefs were just beginning to form. To be more specific: Crinoids first appeared in the \u003cstrong data-start=\"31\" data-end=\"50\"\u003eCambrian Period\u003c\/strong\u003e (541 to 485 million years ago), making them part of the \u003cstrong data-start=\"108\" data-end=\"127\"\u003eearly Paleozoic\u003c\/strong\u003e. However, they truly \u003cstrong data-start=\"149\" data-end=\"179\"\u003ediversified and flourished\u003c\/strong\u003e during the \u003cstrong data-start=\"191\" data-end=\"212\"\u003eOrdovician Period\u003c\/strong\u003e (~485 to 444 million years ago). So, while they technically \u003cstrong data-start=\"274\" data-end=\"304\"\u003eoriginated in the Cambrian\u003c\/strong\u003e, crinoids became \u003cstrong data-start=\"322\" data-end=\"367\"\u003eabundant and widespread in the Ordovician\u003c\/strong\u003e, often forming dense marine communities and becoming a key component of Paleozoic shallow sea ecosystems.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCrinoids—marine echinoderms often nicknamed “sea lilies”—were not plants, but filter-feeding animals that anchored themselves to the seafloor with segmented stalks like this one. Each visible ring, or \u003cem data-start=\"497\" data-end=\"507\"\u003ecolumnal\u003c\/em\u003e, once supported a flexible stem that allowed the animal to sway gently with the current, catching plankton with feathery arms.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"636\" data-end=\"1190\" class=\"\"\u003eThis specimen was unearthed from ancient sedimentary deposits in Morocco, a country renowned for some of the best-preserved Paleozoic marine fossils in the world. These crinoids were entombed in fine-grained limestone and shale beds, laid down over hundreds of millions of years as shallow seas blanketed what is now North Africa. The exceptional preservation of this piece is thanks to rapid burial in carbonate-rich muds that halted decay and mineralized the skeleton in fine detail—transforming a delicate sea creature into stone over geological time.\u003cstrong\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eApproximate Size of 1 piece\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e: 20mm x 9mm x 8mm\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eApproximate Weight of 1 piece\u003c\/strong\u003e: 2g\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eQuantity\u003c\/strong\u003e: 1pc\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eWe do our best to buy quality products- although not every rock is the same. If you choose to purchase the \"staff pick option\", we will select the best of the batch for you. Otherwise, it will be at random from the larger batch we have in stock.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Morocco","offers":[{"title":"Standard","offer_id":46710964486314,"sku":"","price":3.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Staff Pick","offer_id":46710964519082,"sku":"","price":4.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0601\/7158\/3658\/files\/CrinoidStemFragment-Fossil-8.jpg?v=1746125573","url":"https:\/\/rubblerockandgem.com\/it\/products\/crinoid-stem-fragment-fossil-morocco","provider":"Rubble Rock And Gem","version":"1.0","type":"link"}