0.9 Detailed Fossil March Fly Insect Green River FM Uintah County UT Eocene Age
Location: Uintah County, Utah
Weight: 1.9 Ounces
Dimensions: 2.8 Inches Long, 2.5 Inches Wide, 0.4 Inches Thick (Plate)
Insect Dimensions: 0.9 Inches Long, 0.5 Inches Wide
The item pictured is the one you will receive.
50 million years old, Eocene age
March Fly Insect
Fifty million years ago, during the Eocene Epoch, a vast body of water known as Fossil Lake occupied what is now southwestern Wyoming. At its greatest extent, the lake covered about 930 square miles, of which roughly 500 square miles of sediment remain today. The central 230-square-mile area of the ancient lake bed preserves exceptionally rich fossil deposits, along with diverse geological features such as deltas, beaches, springs, and nearshore sediments.
The lake’s unique chemistry inhibited decay and scavenging, allowing delicate remains to accumulate undisturbed. Over time, millimeter-thick layers of limestone were deposited in alternating bands, forming finely laminated rocks that now contain the highest concentration of fossil fish found anywhere in the world.
These remarkable fossils provide a complete record of a freshwater ecosystem from the Paleogene Period, including fish, plants, insects, crustaceans (such as shrimp, crawfish, and ostracods), amphibians (frogs and early salamanders), turtles, alligators, birds, and mammals—among them the oldest known pantolestid, an otter-like animal.
The surrounding subtropical landscape is also represented in the fossil record, preserving rare remains of terrestrial life such as a small horse, snakes, lizards, bats, primitive carnivores (miacids), arboreal insectivores (apatemyids), and over 325 species of leaves, seeds, and flowers.
Since their discovery in the 1870s, Fossil Lake’s perfectly preserved specimens have offered scientists and collectors alike an unparalleled glimpse into a vibrant and ancient world.
