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LOT 2385
Natural History - Amber with Insect Inclusions
OLIGOCENE PERIOD, CIRCA 45 MILLION YEARS B.P.
3/4 in. (1.54 grams, 20 mm).
A specimen of polished amber with insect inclusion. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceEx private UK collection formed in the 1980s.
Property of an East Sussex, UK, teacher.
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AUCTIONS:
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Natural History - Knightia Fossil Fish Plate
Eocene Period, 56-33 million years B.P.Sold for (Inc. bp): £59
The rectangular matrix containing a large Knightia alta sp. specimen. 185 grams, 14.5 cm
From Green River Formation, Wyoming, USA. Ex Lincolnshire, UK, collection.
In southwest Wyoming (and parts of Colorado and Utah) in the Green River Formation are found some of the world's most outstanding specimens of fossil fish. The Green River system was composed of three lakes: Lake Ulinta, Lake Gosiute and Fossil Lake. These Eocene lakes lay in a series of intermountain basins formed by geological events that uplifted the Rocky Mountains during the early Tertiary time. The climate was much different from the desert-like climate of this area today. Both the fauna (crocodiles, alligators, boa constrictors and some subtropical fish families) and the flora (such as large palm trees) indicate a climate much like that found along the Gulf Coast today. Large amounts of ash found in the sediments indicate that volcanoes were particularly active at this time. -
Natural History - Knightia Fossil Fish
Eocene Period, circa 58 million years B.P.Sold for (Inc. bp): £78
The rectangular matrix containing a Knightia alta fish. 233 grams, 14.6 cm
From Wyoming (Green River Formation), USA. Acquired during 1980s. From the Pradi Collection, Boston, U.S.A.
Seasonally some 58 million years ago, in the Green River region of Wyoming, torrential rains fell in the mountains. They flowed down the mountain sides, forming wide shallow lakes in the valley below. During the dry season, these lakes would dry up due to evaporation (as happens in certain parts of Africa today). Millions of fish died in this short period of time. This climatic cycle happened over a 20-thousand-year period. Layer upon layer of mud entombed all these fish. At a much later date, volcanic activity uplifted this area to expose the fossils. -
Natural History - Large Fossil Megalodon Giant Shark's Tooth
Lower Palaeolithic Period, circa 400,000 B.P.Sold for (Inc. bp): £650
From Carcharocles megalodon, an extinct genus of world's largest shark, displaying some good enamel and sharp serrated edges. 423 grams, 13.5 cm
Found by scuba divers, May River, South Carolina, USA.
Carcharodon megalodon is regarded as one of the largest and most powerful marine predators in vertebrate history and likely had a profound impact on structuring of the marine communities. Fossil remains indicate that this giant shark reached a length of more than 16 metres (52 ft) and also affirm that it had a cosmopolitan distribution. Scientists suggest that in life it looked like a stockier version of the great white shark, Carcharodon carcharias.
