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Fossil Bird (Avipeda) Track Plate - Green River Formation, Utah
This is a truly interesting, 10.9" wide plate of stone containing fossil bird tracks. It was collected 40-50 years ago from the Green River Formation of Utah. These tracks are from plovers of the species Avipeda phoenix and were left on the southwestern shore of ancient Lake Uintah approximately 50 million years ago. The tracks are now preserved in a platy limestone horizon known as the "Soldier Summit Fossil Track Horizon".
There are 10 distinct negative tracks on the front side and 5 positive tracks on the back side. Comes with an acrylic display stand.
There are 10 distinct negative tracks on the front side and 5 positive tracks on the back side. Comes with an acrylic display stand.
About The Soldier Summit Fossil Track Horizon
The Soldier Summit Fossil Track Horizon, part of the 50 million year old Green River Formation, preserves an extraordinary variety of ichnofossils (fossil impressions and traces left behind by once-living organisms). Exposed for nearly 25 miles along the crest of the Wasatch Mountains in central Utah, this track horizon provides a prolific record of life along the shores of ancient Lake Uintah, one of three great fossil lakes that existed across Utah, Wyoming, and Colorado during the early Eocene. Among its most remarkable features are the tracks of four species of ancient birds: Avipeda phoenix (plover relative), Quadridigitus semimembranus (sandpiper relative), Jindongornipes falkbuckley (willet/flamingo relative), and Presbyornithiformipes feduccii (duck/goose relative). In some areas, dense concentrations of footprints form what is known as a “Trample Zone”, sometimes playfully referred to as a “bird disco”, where large numbers of birds once gathered along the lakeshore.
The site also preserves fascinating behavioral evidence, including feeding traces that capture birds actively foraging in the soft sediment. Some traces consist of a series of scoops made as birds “shoveled” through the mud with their beaks in search of insects, while others show U-shaped channels formed by the tip of a beak dragged through the sediment as a bird walked backward while feeding. In addition to bird activity, the horizon contains ancient insect traces such as Cochlichnus, interpreted as nematode trails that appear as delicate, squiggly lines, as well as tiny round footprints likely made by flies or beetles, often found within trample zones. Even non-biological ichnofossils are preserved, including round, uniform raindrop impressions that fell during the early Eocene and splash droplets created by birds running or hopping through shallow water. Together, these traces create a vivid snapshot of a dynamic lakeshore ecosystem frozen in time.
The Soldier Summit Fossil Track Horizon, part of the 50 million year old Green River Formation, preserves an extraordinary variety of ichnofossils (fossil impressions and traces left behind by once-living organisms). Exposed for nearly 25 miles along the crest of the Wasatch Mountains in central Utah, this track horizon provides a prolific record of life along the shores of ancient Lake Uintah, one of three great fossil lakes that existed across Utah, Wyoming, and Colorado during the early Eocene. Among its most remarkable features are the tracks of four species of ancient birds: Avipeda phoenix (plover relative), Quadridigitus semimembranus (sandpiper relative), Jindongornipes falkbuckley (willet/flamingo relative), and Presbyornithiformipes feduccii (duck/goose relative). In some areas, dense concentrations of footprints form what is known as a “Trample Zone”, sometimes playfully referred to as a “bird disco”, where large numbers of birds once gathered along the lakeshore.
The site also preserves fascinating behavioral evidence, including feeding traces that capture birds actively foraging in the soft sediment. Some traces consist of a series of scoops made as birds “shoveled” through the mud with their beaks in search of insects, while others show U-shaped channels formed by the tip of a beak dragged through the sediment as a bird walked backward while feeding. In addition to bird activity, the horizon contains ancient insect traces such as Cochlichnus, interpreted as nematode trails that appear as delicate, squiggly lines, as well as tiny round footprints likely made by flies or beetles, often found within trample zones. Even non-biological ichnofossils are preserved, including round, uniform raindrop impressions that fell during the early Eocene and splash droplets created by birds running or hopping through shallow water. Together, these traces create a vivid snapshot of a dynamic lakeshore ecosystem frozen in time.
SPECIES
Avipeda phoenix (plover)
LOCATION
Wasatch County, Utah
FORMATION
Green River Formation - Solider Summit Fossil Track Horizon
SIZE
10.9 x 6.4"
CATEGORY
ITEM
#352243
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