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LARGE SYCAMORE LEAF FOSSIL ON SLAB FROM THE FAMOUS GREEN RIVER FORMATION Green River Formation - Uintah Co., Utah, U.S.A. MIDDLE EOCENE PERIOD: 48.6 - 37.2 million years ago From the famous Green River Formation in Utah, this has got to be one of the better large leaf fossils you will encounter. It is a very large specimen of SYCAMORE LEAF of the species Macginitiea wyomingensis. The slab is very large and sawn for a truly fantastic presentation. Where many slab-type fossils are artificially enhanced with paint and stain, this remarkable specimen is 100% ORIGINAL AND NATURAL with NO ENHANCEMENT of any kind! That stunning espresso brown contrast you see of the leaf compared to the light greenish gray limestone is the real natural hue and is often copied by painting a dark stain on ALL TYPES of Green River Fossils to impart a contrast that most specimens lack naturally. You cannot ask for a better natural specimen as this is when it comes to coloration. The partially split surfaces of the limestone impart a magnificent sculptural relief due to the multi-dimensional layers - a real treat when viewed under light to reveal the different strata in the matrix - compare to simple flat surface slab that is much more common! The only drawback is the missing tips on the right but if present, this specimen would fetch a far greater price than is being offered here. No doubt, this will be one plant fossil that will impress! Highly recommended. One of the most important fossil sites for understanding the Eocene is found at Green River, located in western Colorado, eastern Utah and southwestern Wyoming in the United States. During the Eocene, this region was located at much the same latitude it is today, though global climate was more equable. Therefore, the climate in which the organisms lived differs somewhat from that of the present-day western United States. The fossils, especially plants, found at this site indicate that the climate was moist temperate or sub-tropical, with temperatures ranging from 15 to 20 degrees Celsius. In addition to the plants, another piece of evidence suggesting that the climate was sub-tropical was the presence of fossilized crocodiles. Crocodiles can only survive in areas with a constant, warm temperature. If you were able to visit the Green River locality during the Eocene, you would see palms, cat-tails, sycamores, and other familiar plants from North America, but you would also see some that are today more common in, or restricted to, eastern Asia. A series of large inland lakes extended across the region, and it is in the bottoms of these lakes that various plants and animals were buried and fossilized. These lakes later dried up as the local climate changed, and many of the plants and animals living there became extinct. STUNNING DISPLAY, LARGER THAN TYPICAL LEAF FOSSILS - IMPRESSIVE AND 100% NATURAL, NOT PAINTED!!! 9.5" x 9.4" overall with matrix, leaf fossil is 5.6" x 4" SOLD PL-007 INCLUDES STAND Actual Item - One Only |
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