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File:Fossil red algae (Salem Limestone, Middle Mississippian; Elizabethtown, Kentucky, USA) (45624979264).jpg

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Description

Fossil red algae from the Mississippian of Kentucky, USA.

The squiggly carbonized compressions in this rock have been interpreted as fossil rhodophytes - red algae. Rhodophytes are the most common of all marine macroalgae, but they often go unnoticed due to the dull coloration and nondescript growth forms of many species. Over 7,000 species are currently known. Despite the common name "red algae", colors include red, pink, whitish, lavender, purple, yellow, and brownish-red. Many rhodophytes are calcareous - they have hard parts of CaCO3, usually as branching forms or crusts. As such, they are important reef organisms, and contribute large amounts of biogenous CaCO3 grains to seafloor sediments. Fleshy red algae are mostly weed-like or mossy or fuzzy.

Classification: Plantae, Rhodophyta

Stratigraphy: Salem Limestone, Middle Mississippian

Locality: unrecorded/undisclosed site at or near Elizabethtown, Kentucky, USA
Date
Source Fossil red algae (Salem Limestone, Middle Mississippian; Elizabethtown, Kentucky, USA)
Author James St. John

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This image was originally posted to Flickr by James St. John at https://flickr.com/photos/47445767@N05/45624979264 (archive). It was reviewed on 7 December 2019 by FlickreviewR 2 and was confirmed to be licensed under the terms of the cc-by-2.0.

7 December 2019

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3 May 2012

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Date/TimeThumbnailDimensionsUserComment
current18:33, 7 December 2019Thumbnail for version as of 18:33, 7 December 20192,864 × 2,095 (7.43 MB)Ser Amantio di NicolaoTransferred from Flickr via #flickr2commons

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