Identifying+Crinoids+(Pam+Stephany)

Continuing on the crinoid theme, digital photography would be a very good way to teach as well as learn to identify objects in nature, in this case crinoid fossils before taking a trip to the beach. The first picture here is some lined up objects. Some are crinoids, some are rocks, one is a small shell. I took a longer distance overhead shot because they would be at this distance at least while looking on the beach. I did not take the picture with these in the sand for identification and learning purposes. I used the purple background to get a better look. Crinoids look like small rock donuts. The holes in the "donuts" are not necessarily all the way through, but there is usually at least an impression, as with objects #2 and #6 in this shot. For more information on crinoids, go to [|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crinoids.] I've gotten into the habit of calling the fossils crinoids, but a crinoid is the still-alive marine animal. Here is a view from closer up, a little easier to distinguish the crinoids from the rocks from the shell. (There are 3 crinoids, at 11:00, 12:00, and 6:00.)

This view shows the rock on the left and its own donut hole compared to the crinoid on the right. From a higher view on the beach, the rock looks like it might be a crinoid fossil, though the fossils are usually lighter in color and you can see the layers once you pick them up. (The layers are better seen on the camera exploration page.)

Here is a final shot, a close-up view with the crinoid at the bottom right contrasted with a small white rock. Again when you're at the beach looking in the sand, the small white rock resembles a crinoid.

This was a fun photography-wise but difficult tech-wise exercise for me. But I do feel like I could use these shots to help someone learn something, so all was not lost (even though a few pictures were!). I understand I was not alone in my difficulties, and good luck to all of us as we move on to the next technology....