Productid brachiopod (Fort Payne Formation, Lower Mississippian; Burkesville West Rt. 90 roadcut, Kentucky, USA) 5 (41559441254)

Description:

Description: Brachiopods are sessile, benthic, filter-feeding, marine invertebrates. They first appear in Cambrian rocks and were abundant in Earth's oceans throughout the Paleozoic. They were also common in Mesozoic oceans, but are scarce in modern oceanic biotas. Brachiopods have two shells, called valves, that are usually calcareous (made of calcite - CaCO3 - calcium carbonate). Each shell of a brachiopod is bilaterally symmetrical, unlike each shell of a bivalve (clam). The productid brachiopod shown above (= view of ventral valve) is from the Fort Payne Formation, a fossiliferous shale-and-limestone unit in the Lower Mississippian of Kentucky and Tennessee. Notice that a couple attached spines are present at the upper right margin of the shell. Productid spines are relatively delicate and usually get completely stripped away during burial by sediments (often during storm events). Classification: Animalia, Brachiopoda, Articulata (also known as Rhynchonelliformea), Strophomenida, Productidae Stratigraphy: Fort Payne Formation, Osagean Stage, upper Lower Mississippian Locality: roadcut on the southern side of Route 90, just west of Burkesville, Kentucky, USA (36° 47’ 58.30” North latitude, 85° 22’ 58.20” West longitude). Date: 13 March 2018, 17:04. Source: Productid brachiopod (Fort Payne Formation, Lower Mississippian; Burkesville West Rt. 90 roadcut, Kentucky, USA) 5. Author: James St. John.