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35" Wide Green River Fossil Fish "Mural" With Huge Diplomystus
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This is a spectacular fossil fish "mural" from the Green River Formation of Wyoming. The entire piece measures 34.9 x 23" and features a huge, 16.8" long Diplomystus dentatus along with a second, 6.9" long Diplomystus dentatus and a 4.8" long Cockerellites liops. These fossils were collected from the 18 inch layer at the Lindgren Quarry near Kemmerer, Wyoming.
The massive Diplomystus is very detailed and is in its natural location on the shale. The Cockerellites and smaller Diplomystus were found separately and have been inlaid into the rock to create an aesthetic display. This is the case with many of the large, multiple fish pieces you see from the Green River Formation. The rock has been professionally backed with wood for stability and comes with the wood hanger so that it can easily be hung on a wall.
About The 18 Inch Layer Of Fossil Lake
Specimens like this come from the coveted 18 inch layer of the Green River Formation, which produces darker and more detailed fish than the majority on the market. The rock from this layer is much harder and more durable than other layers in the formation, likely due to its initial deposition conditions in deep water. Because of these conditions, fish found in the 18-inch layer can be extracted whole and in excellent condition. This layer is typically collected at night using low-angle light to see the bump in the rock that the fish's backbone creates. They then cut these fish out and take them to a lab where the fish, which may be up to an inch under the surface of the rock, are meticulously extracted under microscope with hand tools.
A view of the 18 inch layer of the Green River Formation at the Lindgren quarry near Kemmerer, Wyoming.
Specimens like this come from the coveted 18 inch layer of the Green River Formation, which produces darker and more detailed fish than the majority on the market. The rock from this layer is much harder and more durable than other layers in the formation, likely due to its initial deposition conditions in deep water. Because of these conditions, fish found in the 18-inch layer can be extracted whole and in excellent condition. This layer is typically collected at night using low-angle light to see the bump in the rock that the fish's backbone creates. They then cut these fish out and take them to a lab where the fish, which may be up to an inch under the surface of the rock, are meticulously extracted under microscope with hand tools.
A view of the 18 inch layer of the Green River Formation at the Lindgren quarry near Kemmerer, Wyoming.
About Fossil Lake
50 million years ago, in the Eocene epoch, these fish thrived in Fossil Lake, which was fed by the Uinta and Rocky Mountain highlands. The anoxic conditions at the bottom of Fossil Lake slowed bacterial decomposition, prevented scavengers from disturbing corpses, and, most interestingly, suffocated creatures that ventured into the oxygen-starved aquatic layer. The result is a miraculous exhibition of Eocene biota: a subtropical aquatic community within sycamore forests, teeming with creatures such as freshwater stingrays, dog-sized horses, menacing alligators, early flying bats, and one of the first primates.
A view of one of the commercial quarries where fossils from the Green River Formation are collected.
50 million years ago, in the Eocene epoch, these fish thrived in Fossil Lake, which was fed by the Uinta and Rocky Mountain highlands. The anoxic conditions at the bottom of Fossil Lake slowed bacterial decomposition, prevented scavengers from disturbing corpses, and, most interestingly, suffocated creatures that ventured into the oxygen-starved aquatic layer. The result is a miraculous exhibition of Eocene biota: a subtropical aquatic community within sycamore forests, teeming with creatures such as freshwater stingrays, dog-sized horses, menacing alligators, early flying bats, and one of the first primates.
A view of one of the commercial quarries where fossils from the Green River Formation are collected.
SPECIES
Diplomystus dentatus & Cockerellites liops
LOCATION
Kemmerer, Wyoming
FORMATION
Green River Formation - 18 Inch Layer
SIZE
Entire Piece: 34.9 x 23", Fish Sizes: 16.8", 6.9" & 4.8", Weight: 50.8 lbs
CATEGORY
SUB CATEGORY
ITEM
#189305
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