Indian bead is a colloquial American term for a fossilized stem segment of a columnal
crinoid
Crinoids are marine animals that make up the class Crinoidea. Crinoids that are attached to the sea bottom by a stalk in their adult form are commonly called sea lilies, while the unstalked forms are called feather stars or comatulids, which are ...
, a marine
echinoderm
An echinoderm () is any member of the phylum Echinodermata (). The adults are recognisable by their (usually five-point) radial symmetry, and include starfish, brittle stars, sea urchins, sand dollars, and sea cucumbers, as well as the sea ...
of the class Crinoidea. The fossils, generally a centimeter or less in diameter, tend to be cylindrical with a small hole (either open or filled) along the axis and can resemble unstrung
bead
A bead is a small, decorative object that is formed in a variety of shapes and sizes of a material such as stone, bone, shell, glass, plastic, wood, or pearl and with a small hole for threading or stringing. Beads range in size from under ...
s. The fossils are abundant in certain areas, including parts of the
American Midwest
The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of the United States. I ...
where they are present in
gravel
Gravel is a loose aggregation of rock fragments. Gravel occurs naturally throughout the world as a result of sedimentary and erosive geologic processes; it is also produced in large quantities commercially as crushed stone.
Gravel is classifi ...
. They are sometimes also referred to as "Indian money".
The same item is known as ''Bonifatius pfennige'' in German ("Saint Boniface pennies") and
St Cuthbert's beads in the United Kingdom.
Gallery
File:Fossile-seelilie.jpg, Rare fossil of a crinoid completely intact
File:encrines.jpg, Calcified in limestone
File:Isocrinus nicoleti Encrinite Mt Carmel.jpg, Fossils from the Jurassic period
File:Encrinus liliiformis 180308.jpg, Intact stem of a crinoid, still embedded
File:Crinoid stems.jpg, Small beads shown in comparison to a penny
See also
*
St. Cuthbert's beads
St. Cuthbert's beads (or Cuddy's beads) are fossilised portions of the "stems" of crinoids from the Carboniferous period. Crinoids are a kind of marine echinoderm which are still extant, and which are sometimes known as "sea lilies". These bead-li ...
, name for identical bead in Great Britain
References
Kentucky Geological Survey: Identifying Unknown Fossils (by their shape)
Fossil record of animals
Prehistoric crinoids
{{crinoidea-stub
de:Seelilien und Haarsterne#Fossile Crinoiden