Bulletin of the Mizunami Fossil Museum

Bulletin of the Mizunami Fossil Museum No. 46

The geological outcrop of the Netherlands is dominated by Pleistocene and Holocene fluvial, wetland, aeolian and glacial deposits. Mississippian fossiliferous limestones have no exposure in situ, but occurrences ex situ are locally common as building stones and street furniture. The most important crinoid-rich limestone among these far-travelled relicts is found in Eindhoven railway station. Here are the only crinoid thecae known of this antiquity in the Netherlands. A transverse section of a theca, filled by calcite spar and thus a crystal apple, is likely a monobathrid camerate. The most complete specimen retains the heteromorphic proxistele, a monocyclic cup and proximal arms; it is a platycrinitid monobathrid camerate. Crinoid(?) sp. indet. may be a theca with arms, but is somewhat disrupted. These are the best-preserved fossil crinoids known from Dutch building stones; exotic imports from abroad (south-central Belgium?), ignored every day by myriad passengers more intent on travel than geology.