Description:

North America, Wyoming, Green River Formation, Eocene Period, ca. 53.5 to 48.5 million years ago. An exciting stone matrix containing a fossilized Diplomystus fish, from the famous "18 inch" layer of the Green River Formation. The "mama" or "papa" Diplo is recessed into the stone the matrix layers once covering the fossil are cut away revealing bone structure, even the soft tissue is preserved with excellent raised texture. Dispersed throughout the surface of the matrix are hatchlings! The fry are freshly hatched and unfortunately did not have the time to mature to the same size as the central fossil before their mass death- their diaphanous bodies scattered as if they were swimming in a school before the mass death event! Size: 20.75" L x 0.625" W x 19.75" H (52.7 cm x 1.6 cm x 50.2 cm); 20" H (50.8 cm) on included custom stand.

The sediment from the Green River Formation was deposited over a 5-million-year span, the layers of flora and fauna may not have fossilized at the same time - but make for interesting composites. The Eocene world was the warmest of the Cenozoic (our current era), with an average mean temperature around 86 F (30 C) (for comparison, the average mean temperature in the last seventy years is around 58 F (14 C). Although the map of the Earth's surface would have been very recognizable to us today, with most of the continents in place and India moving close to its current position, there were basically no ice caps and huge swaths of the landscape were covered with water, including vast inland seas.

Provenance: private Berthoud, Colorado, USA collection

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#174786

  • Condition: Professionally prepared. Central fish is excavated with stunning preservation to bones and soft tissue. Hatchling fish are light in color and flush with surface.

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December 22, 2022 8:00 AM MST
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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