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31" Green River Fossil Fish "Mural" With Huge Diplomystus
This is a spectacular fossil fish "mural" from the Green River Formation of Wyoming. The entire piece measures 31 x 22" and features a huge, 16.5" long Diplomystus dentatus along with a 5.4" Cockerellites liops and a 4.8" Knightia eocaena. These fossils were collected from the 18 inch layer at the Lindgren Quarry near Kemmerer, Wyoming.
The massive Diplomystus is very detailed and is in its natural location on the shale. The Cockerellites and Knightia were found separately and have been inlaid into the rock to create an aesthetic display. This is the case with many of the large, multiple fish pieces you see from the Green River Formation. The entire piece has been backed with wood for stability and so that it can easily be hung on a wall. The piece weighs about 52 lbs and will ship in a wooden crate.
The massive Diplomystus is very detailed and is in its natural location on the shale. The Cockerellites and Knightia were found separately and have been inlaid into the rock to create an aesthetic display. This is the case with many of the large, multiple fish pieces you see from the Green River Formation. The entire piece has been backed with wood for stability and so that it can easily be hung on a wall. The piece weighs about 52 lbs and will ship in a wooden crate.
About The 18 Inch Layer Of Fossil Lake
Specimens of this quality come from the coveted 18-inch layer of the Green River Formation, a horizon renowned for producing exceptionally dark, detailed, and well-preserved fossil fish. The limestone from this layer is significantly harder and more durable than that found in many other parts of the formation, likely a result of the deep-water conditions under which it was originally deposited.
These conditions helped preserve fish in remarkable completeness, allowing exceptional specimens to be recovered largely intact. Locating them is a specialized process. The layer is often worked at night using low-angle lighting, which reveals the subtle raised contours created by a fossil fish—particularly the backbone—hidden beneath the surface of the limestone.
A view of the 18 inch layer of the Green River Formation at the Lindgren quarry near Kemmerer, Wyoming.
Once identified, the surrounding rock is carefully cut away and the specimen is transported to a preparation laboratory. Because the fossil may lie as much as an inch beneath the surface, exposing it requires painstaking work under magnification. Skilled preparators use fine hand tools to gradually remove the overlying limestone, revealing the fossil in extraordinary detail while preserving the delicate bones beneath.
Specimens of this quality come from the coveted 18-inch layer of the Green River Formation, a horizon renowned for producing exceptionally dark, detailed, and well-preserved fossil fish. The limestone from this layer is significantly harder and more durable than that found in many other parts of the formation, likely a result of the deep-water conditions under which it was originally deposited.
These conditions helped preserve fish in remarkable completeness, allowing exceptional specimens to be recovered largely intact. Locating them is a specialized process. The layer is often worked at night using low-angle lighting, which reveals the subtle raised contours created by a fossil fish—particularly the backbone—hidden beneath the surface of the limestone.
A view of the 18 inch layer of the Green River Formation at the Lindgren quarry near Kemmerer, Wyoming.
Once identified, the surrounding rock is carefully cut away and the specimen is transported to a preparation laboratory. Because the fossil may lie as much as an inch beneath the surface, exposing it requires painstaking work under magnification. Skilled preparators use fine hand tools to gradually remove the overlying limestone, revealing the fossil in extraordinary detail while preserving the delicate bones beneath.
SPECIES
Diplomystus dentatus, Cockerellites liops & Knightia eocaena
LOCATION
Kemmerer, Wyoming
FORMATION
Green River Formation - 18 Inch Layer
SIZE
31 x 22", Fish 16.5", 5.4" & 4.8", 52 lbs
CATEGORY
SUB CATEGORY
ITEM
#158712
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