FOSSIL SPONGE - 115 million years old - Faringdon Sponge Gravels, Oxfordshire
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115 million years old
Faringdon Sponge Gravels
Faringdon, Oxfordshire
A good example of the sponge Raphidonema, a classic fossil from the Faringdon Sponge Gravels.
These gravels were formed during the Cretaceous period when the area was submerged beneath a tropical sea. Sponges lived on the sea floor and when they died underwater currents swept them into hollows where they accumulated to form the gravels.
The Faringdon Sponge Gravels is part of the Lower Greensand. It is composed predominantly of the remains of calcareous sponges, with brachiopods, echinoderms and bryozoa. Derived fossils such as reptile bones from older formations also occur.
This specimen is from an old collection.
Click on a picture for a larger image
115 million years old
Faringdon Sponge Gravels
Faringdon, Oxfordshire
A good example of the sponge Raphidonema, a classic fossil from the Faringdon Sponge Gravels.
These gravels were formed during the Cretaceous period when the area was submerged beneath a tropical sea. Sponges lived on the sea floor and when they died underwater currents swept them into hollows where they accumulated to form the gravels.
The Faringdon Sponge Gravels is part of the Lower Greensand. It is composed predominantly of the remains of calcareous sponges, with brachiopods, echinoderms and bryozoa. Derived fossils such as reptile bones from older formations also occur.
This specimen is from an old collection.
Click on a picture for a larger image
Size: 8 x 5 x 5 centimetres
Weight: 206 grams
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