Ammonite in Limestone Matrix

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This one is a classic Solnhofen Limestone ammonite from Bavaria, Germany. It is a very different type of preservation compared to your polished or pyritized specimens.

Why It Is Unique

  • Lithographic Limestone: This ammonite is preserved in extremely fine-grained limestone. This is the same stone that yielded the famous Archaeopteryx (the feathered dinosaur). Because the mud was so fine, it captured incredible detail without the shell necessarily turning into metal or crystal.
  • The Impression: This is often an impression or a flattened "compression" fossil. Over millions of years, the weight of the sediment flattened the shell.
  • The Genus: Based on the ribbing and the locality, this is likely a Perisphinctes or a Subplanites from the Upper Jurassic (roughly 150 million years ago).

Key Features

  • Color: Notice the creamy, buttery yellow-tan color. This is the signature look of the Solnhofen quarries.
  • The Cut: It has been cut into a neat rectangle. In the fossil trade, these are often "quarried" as tiles. If you look closely at the edges, you can see the natural layers of the limestone (lamination).
  • Dendrites: Sometimes these slabs have dark, tree-like patterns on them called manganese dendrites. It doesn’t look like this one has many, but it's a common "bonus" feature for these German slabs.

3 available