031220c

A microcoprolite grainstone, a limestone composed chiefly of the fossil fecal pallets of burrowing shrimp, Jurassic Smackover Formation, Alabama. All photos 2.5 mm in the long dimension. Samples from cores between 2 and 3 miles below the surface. Most pellets are Parafavreina ziczac, seen in various orientations. Darker specimens retain more organic material. Relatives of the shrimp that made these pellets are common today in shallow tropical waters, which is why we know who made them.

The squished specimen in the middle was still soft at the time of burial.

050519c

but

who

ordered

shrimp cocktail

Crab Nebula bar

the waitstaff curl their antennae

goodbye to progeny or beloved family pets

041819

Grainstone composed almost exclusively of Parafavreina, a fecal pellet made by burrowing shrimp. This deposit is almost identical to modern accumulations of fecal pellets made by related burrowing-shrimp.This thin section was stained with Alizarin red S, staining calcite pink. White particles are quartz silt grains.. Light pink areas are calcite cement crystals filling original open spaces among the pellets. Jurassic Smackover Formation, Alabama, image 2.5 mm wide.

The photos of Parafavreina that I have been posting were taken in the process of preparing this scientific article:

Rindsberg, A. K., and Kopaska-Merkel, D. C., 2013 , Parafavreina ziczac isp. nov., a crustacean microcoprolite from the Upper Jurassic (Oxfordian) Smackover Formation of Alabama, U.S.A., Alabama Museum of Natural History Bulletin 31, v. 2. p. 74-93.

I have PDF copies of the article if anyone is interested.

041519c

Shrimp fecal pellets, some deformed by compaction against firmer specimens. Jurassic Smackover Fm, Alabama, thin section. Image 2.5 mm wide.

041219b

Bimodal pellet dolograinstone. Dolomitized pellets (gray) in matrix of altered calcite cement (red) with fine porosity within and among pellets (blue), Large pellet in the center of image (arrow) is Parafavreina, a shrimp fecal pellet. Red color is the result of staining with Alizarin red S. Jurassic Smackover Formation, Alabama, thin-section photomicrograph.

041019c

Fecal-pellet grainstone dominated by the distinctive pellets of callianassid shrimp (the larger particles). Dolomitized Jurassic Smackover Formation, Alabama, thin-section photomicrograph. The pallets are trace fossils called Parafavreina ziczac. Generally, no fossils of the shrimp themselves are preserved, but their distribution is easily recognized from their pellets.

040919c

Fecal pellet of burrowing shrimp, Jurassic Smackover Formation, Alabama, thin-section photomicrograph.

012918

brine time

The sun bakes the collectors,

Feeding the high-rises to the south.

Trickle-down electronics feed the locals power too,

Bleeding a few watts to each plastic shanty.

Living on brine shrimp

mutated to catfish size

(when we say jumbo we mean it)

And halophytic vegetation,

The power's used to run lights and pump brine

for a little passive cooling.

At certain times and tides,

The shrimp boil purple, green, and gold,

Explode upon our minds,

Affect our vision heart and soul.

I see cities trees and countryside,

Gargantuan groves of plastic gone

That now the sun imbibe, and hide,

And strangler fig-like cables bulge on every one.

120614

OMG
they used plastic
to remember their banalitismo
might as well have written on wood or stone
like our pre-human ancestors





Written ahead of time, cos when you read this I'll be on my way to a 300 million-year-old microbial reef in north Alabama. Today I spent a productive time musing over photos of ancient burrows of some small shrimp-like critters. They had stout legs--who were they?

the rare post about life chez human

This seems to be the season of no news (is it also the season of good news?). The House GOP delegation decided that Al Qaeda wasn't destroying our country fast enough, so they offered to take over the job. Middle-school-art-teacher Spouse likes her students, but one student who seemed in serious trouble last week was back in school on Friday. He threatened to attack another student with a hacksaw, while waving the hacksaw. That's only slightly more threatening than threatening to attack another student with a noodle while waving the noodle. But it's a wee-pon fer crissake! We finally may have a customer for our yellow watermelons. The story so far: volunteer watermelons grew past fry size for the first time in more than 20 years. Big! Beautiful! Plenteous! Yellow as a pale yellow...lemon! Unfortunately, this led to the realization that we don't like yellow watermelons. Neither do most of our friends. One friend had never tried yellow watermelons, and was willing to do so. If he likes them, he gets the rest! I have continued to work on the crustacean trace fossil paper. We do not yet have a complete first draft, and we still don't have a smoking gun...er, shrimp, but we have Venerable Shrimpologist on the case. Worst-case scenario: he confirms our belief that No One Knows! It rained hard long enough to puddle yards & drench cripples [me]. Alas, a day later weed roots are dry as old bones: there ain't no justice! Sadie, Spouse's new dog, likes to toss things around if we go away and don't lock her up. I would always do so, but Spouse-who-trusts-too-much doesn't feel that way. The only thing she has actually eaten that I know of is a plastic grated cheese jar. Biggest news: daughter #1 used TeamViewer to fix Spouse's computer remotely from Finland. This ain't yer Gramma's future. So where's my friggin' jetpack!?