4.4" Eocene Fossil Leaf - Green River Formation

Eocene Fossil Leaf - Green River Formation #233917

This is a 4.4" long (including stem) fossil leaf from the Eocene-aged Green River Formation, collected at the Lindgren quarry in Kemmerer, Wyoming. It's in great shape with fine detail and a dark-orange coloration which contrasts well against the shale. It appears to be a leaf of the genus Platycarya, however its tough to tell with the missing (bug eaten) tip.

This specimen includes a metal/acrylic stand.

50 million years ago, in the Eocene, these fish thrived in Fossil Lake, which was fed by the Uinta and Rocky Mountain highlands. The anoxic conditions at the bottom of Fossil Lake slowed bacterial decomposition, prevented scavengers from disturbing corpses and, most interestingly, suffocated creatures that ventured into the oxygen-starved aquatic layer. The result is a miraculous exhibition of Eocene biota: a subtropical aquatic community within sycamore forests, teeming with creatures such as freshwater stingrays, dog-sized horses, menacing alligators, early flying bats, and one of the first primates.

A view of one of the commercial quarries where fossils from the Green River Formation are collected.