Displayable Hoploscaphites Cluster - South Dakota

This is a displayable cluser of threeiridescent Hoploscaphities nicolletii ammonites from the Fox Hills Formation of South Dakota. It's been wonderfully prepared from the hard concretion it was found in. The largest of the three ammonites is 2.85" wide. The base of the rock has been sawed flat so this piece stands up on it's own without the need for a display stand.

These 70 million year old ammonites lived when South Dakota was a shallow inland sea. It was found preserved in a concretion that was split open. It then had to be hand prepared to remove the hard rock surrounding it from the shell, a very time consuming task.