Mined from: Morocco

Era: (Late Cambrian-Early Ordovician Period) Paleozoic Era
Geological Age: Approximately 485 million mya

Description: This 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 Cambrian Period (541 to 485 million years ago), making them part of the early Paleozoic. However, they truly diversified and flourished during the Ordovician Period (~485 to 444 million years ago). So, while they technically originated in the Cambrian, crinoids became abundant and widespread in the Ordovician, often forming dense marine communities and becoming a key component of Paleozoic shallow sea ecosystems.

Crinoids—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 columnal, once supported a flexible stem that allowed the animal to sway gently with the current, catching plankton with feathery arms.

This 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.

Approximate Size of 1 piece: 20mm x 9mm x 8mm
Approximate Weight of 1 piece: 2g

Quantity: 1pc

We 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.