Pingli:

It does not look like a Plant or Animal fossil. Could you please tell us about the mineral composition of the rock for further evaluation?

Best

Syed

Syed,

Thanks for your answer. That lithology professor had done geochemical analysis. I will show you the mineral composition when I get the report.

The rock is light and fragile. They look too much like fossils, perhaps the photos didn't show much details.

Best,

Pingli

it looks like bryozoan but I am not pretty much sure, could you let me know the locality you found it?

Xinjiang Province. We don't know the exact locality. But I think there's possibility for further details on the locality and age of the rock in the future.

According to my opinion the fossil contains leaflets of a fern with linear sori. Further microscopic investigation should prove it, if spori could be found.

Professor Tamás Pócs, thanks for the suggestion. I will tell you the investigation result when I find a paleobotany researcher who can help me.

In my opinion, I think it is plate fragments of a kind of Echinoderm, maybe crinoid arm plates.

There's another researcher who agrees with you, Dr. Lei. Do you think it's more like tentacles than stems of crinoid?  And how can we make sure of this?

Yes, I think it is more like the brachial plates ( located between the stem and the tentacles). I can attach one kind of crinoids from America for comparison.

The specimen here is covered with lots of plates in a muddle, which may suggest these plates were carried from other place.

Instead of indulging in speculative Science - whether Plant or Animal fossil, prudence demands first determining the mineral composition of the rock fragment. Just put a drop of dilute HCL to test at least CaCO3 composition.

Best

Syed 

Thank you very much, Dr. Lei. I'm looking forward the opportunity to go to the collecting locality to check their occurrence.

Dr. Jafar, thanks a lot for your suggestion. I tested the rock with dilute HCL just now, there's no reaction. And I haven't got the geochemical analysis report yet...

Pingli:

Thanks for testing the specimen. With no reaction, the possibility of this being Bryozoan or Echinoid-Crinoid skeleton is largely ruled out. Being silicified leaflet of fossil fern seems doubtful. Do you get any other fossil remain/structure associated with this specimen - which could now be suspected as a pseudofossil.

Best

Syed 

Many thanks, Dr. Jafar. I have no other fossil remain or structure associated with this specimen and hope to find some clues in the field.

With respect of the unknown age of that object: A fragment to the left of cm 2-3 reminiscent of a half shark coprolite from a spiral-enteric, see section of the figure atached here.

Best

Hans

Hi Pingli,

I'm agree with Dr. Hans , i think that this fossil should be a Biodepositional structures.

Look at the picture attached.

Regards,

Hakima

Thanks for your opinions, Dr. Karl and Dr. Belkhattab. I haven't thought of this, it's interesting.

Pingli:

I am a bit sceptical about the identification of Hans-Volker. Next time when you collect more specimens (possibly of Non-marine origin) do give it to a Palynologist for possible story based on spores and pollen.

Best

Syed

Ok, if it should be palaeobotanical objects also Charophyceae or Charales are possible ?! We dont know age nor lithology.

Many thanks to you!

Looks very much like a crinoid set of arms. that came from an enclosed crown. A bit crushed and the cup not exposed or broken off.