Here we have an internal and external view of a goniatite that was collected from the Postojna Caves in Slovenia. This dates from 360 million years ago which dates it to the early Carboniferous (Mississippian period).

Goniatites were the precursors to ammonites and had a simpler suture dividing the chambers of the shell.

If anyone could attempt to identify the species I would be very grateful.

Thanks Jean, what a lovely present for you!

http://www.tonmo.com/phpBB/files/Goniatite1.JPG

If anyone could attempt to identify the species I would be very grateful.



Me too!

Cheers

J

Phil & Jean,

That is a very nice Goniatite :!: especially if that is original shell material :!:

I searched GONIAT for goniatites from Slovenia and came up with a blank. It shows Permian goniatites but not mississippian, and it dont list the Postojna Caves. I will keep looking! Any chance of a closeup of the suture?

Phil & Jean,

That is a very nice Goniatite :!: especially if that is original shell material :!:

I searched GONIAT for goniatites from Slovenia and came up with a blank. It shows Permian goniatites but not mississippian, and it dont list the Postojna Caves. I will keep looking! Any chance of a closeup of the suture?

hiya,

I can try, but the only way I could see the suture was with a microscope. they're VERY faint. The pale material on the outside does look to me like shell material.

After christmas I'll try to take some piccys with the photomicroscope, of the suture. But no promises. Is there anything else that can help? I can see the septa , or are they pretty much all the same??

cheers

jean

I'm starting to think that the fossil was not found at the caves though it may have been bought there. The official website of the caves states that they are only two million years old.

http://www.postojnska-jama.si/en/cave.htm

We could be barking up the wrong tree here, perhaps searching for mid-European goniatites of that date may be more productive.

I've found a geological relief map of Slovenia which confirms the area around Postojna is Tertiary in date. The mountain range that runs East-West through the centre of Slovenia contains some deposits of Carboniferous rock so the fossil must have been imported to the caves for sale.

http://24.132.71.242/~herman/system/geolkaart/slovenie.jpg

The Dolzan Gorge seems to an area of Carboniferous fossil bearing deposits. Perhaps the goniatite came from there?

http://216.239.59.104/search?q=cache:zn_bFdO5xLgJ:www.sgu.se/hotell/progeo/news/2_99/dolzan.html+fossils+slovenia+carbonifero us&hl=en&ie=UTF-8

The importation doesn't entirely surprise me :shock: as my friend said they had "lots" of fossils and she had a handful to bing back for our aqurium education programmes when she realised that they were priced in Euro Dollars not cents so she just brought one back for lucky me :!:

no matter it's still neat!

J