1" Hoploscaphites Ammonite - South Dakota

This is a small Hoploscaphities ammonite specimen from the Fox Hills Formation of South Dakota. It's been wonderfully prepared from the hard concretion it was found in. There is quite a bit of green iridescence if you hold it in the right light. The base has been prepared so that the ammonite displays nicely without the need of a 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.