Hello Hakima,

This is not an barnacle but a partly weathered coral stock ...

Best wishes,

Mike

Hello Narjess and Mike,

Thank you so much for your answers.

Mike, Why you think that the specimen looks like a partly weathered coral stock but not a colony of balanus?

many thanks for your time and interest,

Best

Hakima

Hakima:

This is not a encrusting Barnacle but a coralline Limestone as pointed out by Mike.

Best

Syed

Dear Hakima,

Definitely, a colonial coral. But I can't say by these images if it is a rugosan (Ordovician-Permian) or a scleractinian (Mesozoic-Cenozoic).

Best,

Andrey

Syed,

So you agree with Mike that it is a coralline Limestone.

Andrey,

You confirmed that this specimen is colonial coral, in this case, if you agree with me, according to the arrangement of Septae (the first images), we can guess a scleractinian corals.

Many thanks for your time and interest,

Best

Hakima

Yes, scleractinian version is more plausible by the type of colony as well.

Dear Andrey,

Thank you so much for your confirmation. Now it is clear for me. This specimen is a scleractinian colonial corals.

Best regards,

Hakima

Dear Hakima,

most likely it is a rugose coral of Devonian age. It is hard to say which genus it belongs to, but I would suggest it is a Phillipsastrea. Thin sections or polished surfaces would help... I would not be so sure about a Scleractinian coral...

probably this simple belong to rugosa coral

Hakima et al.:

Appears to be a colonial rugose coral and as observed by Stefan a thin section/polished surface would facilitate identification. See link:

http://www.mzp.cz/ris/ekodisk-new.nsf/3c715bb7027b1c65c1256bb3007b7af2/3e5704e3c96695a4c1257640002ca43b/$FILE/Bulletin%20of%20geoscience%202006_3.pdf

Best

Syed

Stefan, Reza and Syed,

I agree with you all, this specimen looks like a rugosa coral, I don't think it before!.

Until preparing a thin section, we can suggest that this specimen is a colonial rugose coral of Devonian age. Which the genus is probably belongs to a Phillipsastrea (according to Stefan).

Syed, thank you for the attached file it was very interesting.

Best 

Hakima

Dear Johanset,

Thank you so much for your confirmation, now it so clear for me.

Many thanks for your time and interest.

All the best,

Hakima

I agree with this is a rugose coral, probably of  Devonian age, but I am not sure that it would be Phillipsastrea.

Best wishes

Luisa

Dear Maria Luisa,

Thank you so much for your answer, So you confirm that this specimen is a rugose coral of Devonian age. As Stefan suggest that the genus could be a Phillipsastrea.  

Many thanks for your time and interest.

With all the best,

Hakima

Dear Hakima,

I agree with Stefan, but only thin sections will confirm (beautiful specimen). It certainly looks Devonian and mostly likely Phillipsastrea or Hexagonaria. It is difficult to see from the photographs, but it looks like the corallite walls are better developed than you might expect in Phillipsastrea, hence it could be more like Hexagonia.

Good luck,

Scott