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LOT 2445
Natural History - Knightia Fossil Fish
EOCENE PERIOD, CIRCA 58 MILLION YEARS B.P.
5 3/4 in. (234 grams, 14.4 cm).
The Knightia alta fossil fish on a rectangular matrix. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceFrom 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.
CONDITIONTimeLine Auctions follows a vetting process to ensure the authenticity and legality of all items, reinforcing our commitment to integrity and responsible trading. Each antiquity, antique, and coin lot undergoes thorough examination by a vetting committee of at least ten external specialists, professional trade association members, scientists, and archaeologists: Our Vetting Process
AUCTIONS:
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Natural History - Polished Ammonite Coaster Group
Jurassic Period, 199-145 million years B.P.Sold for (Inc. bp): £130
Comprising three composites of various sized ammonites with polished upper surface. 236 grams, 80-83 mm
From Madagascar. Ex Lincolnshire, UK, collection. -
Natural History - Extinct Fossil Shark's Tooth Group
Cretaceous-Eocene Period, 70-50 million years B.P.Sold for (Inc. bp): £98
Comprising various examples in different sizes, some with cusplets. 30 grams total, 11-28 mm
Ex Lincolnshire, UK, collection. -
Natural History - Fossil Guppy Fish Mortality Plate
Jurassic Period, circa 150 million years B.P.Sold for (Inc. bp): £78
The irregular matrix with a number of Poecilia reticulate sp. fish. 620 grams, 20.5 cm
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.
