Microvertebrate Fossil Collection
Late Cretaceous (approx. 67 million years ago), Hell Creek Formation, Garfield County, Montana, USA
Auction Closed
July 14, 07:13 PM GMT
Estimate
6,000 - 9,000 USD
Lot Details
Description
Microvertebrate Fossil Collection
Late Cretaceous (approx. 67 million years ago)
Hell Creek Formation, Garfield County, Montana, USA
Sorted from pounds and pounds of dirt found near rock matrix collected and examined ca. 2012-2015.
Collection of microvertebrate fossils in metal and clear plexiglass gem jars, some labeled, and bags. One metal jar labelled “Phipps,” measuring 1.5 x .75 inches; 5 metal jars measuring 1.25 x .5 inches labeled "PHIPPS MISC," "PHIPPS MAMMAL," "PHIPPS JAWS, CLAWS + BONES," "PHIPPS SHARK," "PHIPPS RAY + OSC"; 5 plexiglass jars measuring 1.25 x 1.25; 4 plexiglass jars measuring 1.4 x 1.6 inches. 2 bags of specimens measuring 2 x 2.5 inches and 1.9 x 2.5 inches respectively. All enclosed in metal box measuring 5.25 x 2.5 x .8 inches. This lot will be sold as a collection and not subject to return.
Hundreds of unsorted screen washed pieces of fossil material belonging largely to tiny unidentified teeth, jaws, and some postcranial material (including dermal elements), from various extinct species of fish, sharks, rays, lizard, dinosaur (Theropoda species), and mammals. (Multituberculata/Theria species). Screen washing is used to salvage small fossils from sediment by washing it through screens. The screen washing method provides additional data for studying past faunas at micro level. This intriguing collection is kept in glass top tins, clear plastic containers, and plastic bags.
Collected from private land owned by Clayton Phipps in Garfield County, Montana from 2012-2015;
Sifted and sorted by Larry Martin
A KALEIDOSCOPIC SNAPSHOT OF LIFE IN HELL CREEK DURING THE LATE CRETACEOUS
This collection includes a representation of nearly every small creature alive in Hell Creek during the Late Cretaceous that walked, crawled, slithered, flew, or swam.
Contained in these gem jars are thousands of specimens both marine and terrestrial, including elements such as mammal teeth, shark teeth, fish teeth, and tiny dinosaur teeth that are potentially embryonic. These specimens offer unique and incredibly rich research possibilities to study the tiny universe of life present at the end of the dinosaur age.
These thousands of specimens, the largest measuring approximately 1/16 of an inch and several thousand below 1 millimeter in size, were collected and discovered from countless pounds of dirt found surrounding rock matrix over approximately three years of painstaking work.