Ammonite Eye

No, what appears to be an eye is only the center of the spiral shell of this marvelous ammonite fossil. Ammonites are an extinct sea creature from... more

by Douglas Taylor

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Price

$125

Dimensions

37.500 x 30.000 inches

Title

Ammonite Eye

Artist

Douglas Taylor

Medium

Photograph - 35mm Film

Description

No, what appears to be an eye is only the center of the spiral shell of this marvelous ammonite fossil. Ammonites are an extinct sea creature from the Cretaceous Period of the Mesozoic Era. Ammonites were a member of the mollusca phylum, and first found in the Devonian Period of the Proterozoic Era about 400 million years ago. They became extinct at about the same as the dinosaurs 65 million years ago. The well documented evolution of the ammonites make them an excellent index fossil for dating marine deposits.

This specimen lived in the shallow sea that once covered the central and high plains of the United States and Canada, and these fossils are found in the Pierre Shale, a dark Cretaceous sedimentary rock. The fabulous iridescence is because the many layers of the shell material aragonite refracting light, and this mineral is also tinted by traces of iron, copper and silica. Ammonites having this amazing array of color are only found in southern Alberta, with occasional occurrence in far northern Montana. These ammonites are the source of the gemstone ammolite.

This particular specimen was displayed by Canada Fossils of Calgary, Alberta at the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show. My many thanks to them for allowing me to photograph this extraordinary, museum quality wonder from nature.

Uploaded

September 14th, 2021