- Solnhofen Fossils - General
Information
- Late Jurassic, Solnhofen Plattenkalke, Bavaria, Germany
Solnhofen, Germany in the heart of Bavaria is home to some
of the best fossils in the world. The region was subtropical
during the late Jurassic and supported a diverse biota of plants
and animals. The hundreds of recognized species of invertebrates
and vertebrates from algae, insects, crustaceans and fish to
the most famous of all fossils, the bird called Archaeopteryx.
The animals which inhabited this Jurassic hyper-saline lagoon
about 150 million years ago were buried by fine clay and chalk
sediments. Preservation was so detailed, even some soft tissue
and delicate feathers were preserved.
The fossils are found in commercially operated quarries.
Many tons of material must be moved to before a fossil is found.
The commercial operation of the quarry and the monetary incentive
to the workers to look for the slightest impression of a fossil
are credited with the recovery of many important fossils. Mainly
because of the 200 years of intense quarrying, this photographic
glimpse of the Jurassic Period has been recovered.
The method of quarrying is basically unchanged for hundreds
of years. It involves lots of hand work by immigrants from Turkey.
Over the centuries, shale from the quarry was used by Romans
on ornamental buildings and later it was found to be some of
the finest lithographic stone in the world. On occasion, one
can see houses where it was used for roofs.
A brief history:
- 1781 The first quarries were opened
- 1853 The first fossils were collected
by Ludwig Frischman
- 1860 First feather was found
- 1861 First Archaeopteryx was found. A
local doctor named Carl Haberlein acquired it in exchange for
his services.
- The Archaeopteryx later came to reside
in a British Museum in London. Most important fossils eventually
end up being studied and stored in museums around the world.
At this point and time in history, Charles Darwin was doing
his controversial research on evolution as well as the studying
the bird - dinosaur connection. At the time, it was the subject
of many a colorful debate between Darwin and Richard Owen. The
topic still being debated today. Some things about human nature
never change.
The finest Archaeopteryx specimen was found in 1877 and sold
to the Berlin Museum. It has beautiful feather impressions. The
most recent Archaeopteryx discovery is credited to Dr. John Ostrum,
Professor at Yale University. He discovered an Archaeopteryx
in 1970 in a museum collection in Holland. The specimen was misidentified
as a small flying reptile.
The Solnhofen quarry produces a richly diverse selection
of vertebrates and invertebrates. Each one unique and extremely
rare.
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