Sale NH0903 Lot 217

FOSSIL WATER STRIDER
Propygolampis bronni
Jurassic
Solnhofen Formation, Germany
The ghostly trace of this long-dead pond-skater has been preserved forever in the Solnhofen limestone through a process of lithography: the outline of the insect was chemically transferred to the stone over millions of years, thanks to the anoxic (oxygen-free) conditions of the thick mud silt that remained when the lagoons of the area dried out towards the end of the Jurassic period. Were it not for such advantageous conditions, the shadowy orange traces of an insect of this fragility would surely never have survived. The delicate creature measures approximately 4 1/4 x 3 3/4 inches and is presented on a sandy-orange matrix 11 1/4 x 10 1/4 inches, with some characterful fern-like dendrite patterning.
Estimate $800-1,200