Fossil Table

_{(please click image for full view and scroll right)}

Title: Fossil Table
Medium: Digital Photography
Photographer: Aaron J. Greenblatt
Camera Type: Panasonic DMC-LZ7 Lumix 7.2 MP
Editing: Edited in PhotoShop 7.0 for color accuracy, size, and to apply copyright and border.

Location: Photograph taken at the 2008 Southeastern Michigan Gem and Mineral Show at the Southgate Civic Center in Southgate, Michigan. Show hosted by the Midwest Mineralogical & Lapidary Society.

Description: This is an expanded view of a dealer's fossil table at the show. Usually I don't upload such large images but I thought that it was necessary to do so this time so that you can get a better view of this interesting sales display. Each fossil on this table was for sale - with many of the pieces priced in the hundreds of dollars.

The fossils on this table came from numerous species including stegodons, rhinos, hippos, deer, buffalo, bison, mastodons, shrimp, lobsters, and even a sting ray - which can be partially seen in the upper right corner. The boxes on the left contain numerous teeth from hippos and rhinos while the slabs on the right contain numerous crustaceans. All of these fossils are millions of years old and come from such far away places as Indonesia, Germany, and the Netherlands.

The large tusk at the center of this image comes from a mastodon and was found in the Netherlands. I found this tusk to be one of the more interesting fossils on the table. It was priced at $300 - which was a bit out of my price range. However, I can just imagine this tusk looking rather awesome displayed on my mantelpiece.

Closeup: For a closeup look at several of these fossils check out the following deviations: Fossil Stegodon Molar deviation and Fossil Hippo Jaw deviation.

About Fossils: Fossils (from Latin fossus, literally "having been dug up") are the preserved remains or traces of animals, plants, and other organisms from the remote past. The totality of fossils, both discovered and undiscovered, and their placement in fossiliferous (fossil-containing) rock formations and sedimentary layers (strata) is known as the fossil record. The study of fossils across geological time, how they were formed, and the evolutionary relationships between taxa (phylogeny) are some of the most important functions of the science of paleontology. A preserved specimen is called a "fossil" if it is older than some minimum age, most often the arbitrary date of 10,000 years.

About Fossil Rarity: Fossilization is an exceptionally rare occurrence, because most components of formerly-living things tend to decompose relatively quickly following death. In order for an organism to be fossilized, the remains normally need to be covered by sediment as soon as possible. However there are exceptions to this, such as if an organism becomes frozen, desiccated, or comes to rest in an anoxic (oxygen-free) environment.

Fossilization tends to favor organisms with hard body parts, those that were widespread, and those that existed for a long time before going extinct. It is very unusual to find fossils of small, soft bodied, geographically restricted and geologically ephemeral organisms, because of their relative rarity and low likelihood of preservation. The conditions under which fossilization takes place are quite rare; and it is highly unlikely that any given organism will leave behind a fossil.

Information Source: [link] (wiki - fossil)

Legal: Copyright © Aaron J. Greenblatt. All rights reserved. Commercial use prohibited. This image and commentary may not be used for any reason without expressed written consent.


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