Solnhofen Limestone

Coordinates: 48°54′00″N 11°00′00″E / 48.9000°N 11.0000°E / 48.9000; 11.0000
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Altmühltal Formation
Stratigraphic range: Tithonian
↓
Approximate paleocoordinates
40°06′N 19°12′E / 40.1°N 19.2°E / 40.1; 19.2
Region Bavaria
Country Germany
Type section
Named forSolnhofen
Solnhofen Limestone is located in Germany
Solnhofen Limestone
Solnhofen Limestone (Germany)
Solnhofen Limestone is located in Bavaria
Solnhofen Limestone

The Solnhofen Limestone or Solnhofen Plattenkalk, formally known as the Altmühltal Formation, is a

theropod dinosaur Archaeopteryx preserved in such detail that they are among the most famous and most beautiful fossils in the world. The Solnhofen beds lie in the German state of Bavaria (Bayern), halfway between Nuremberg (Nürnberg) and Munich (München) and were originally quarried as a source of lithographic limestone. The Jura Museum situated in Eichstätt, Germany has an extensive exhibit of Jurassic fossils from the quarries of Solnhofen and surroundings, including marine reptiles, pterosaurs, and one specimen of the early bird Archaeopteryx.[3]

Paleoenvironment and preservation

A brittle star fossil from the Solnhofen Limestone

During the

Tethys Sea. This included placid lagoons that had limited access to the open sea and where salinity rose high enough that the resulting brine could not support life. Since the lowest water was devoid of oxygen, many ordinary scavengers were absent. Any organism that fell, drifted, or was washed into the lagoons from the ocean or the land became buried in soft carbonate mud. Thus, many delicate creatures avoided consumption by scavengers or being torn apart by currents. The wings of dragonflies, the imprints of stray feathers, and terrestrial plants that washed into the lagoons were all preserved. The fossils are not numerous, but some of them are spectacular, and their range gives a comprehensive picture of a local Jurassic ecosystem
.

At times, the lagoons almost dried out, exposing sticky carbonate muds that trapped insects and a few small dinosaurs. Over 600 species have been identified, including twenty-nine kinds of pterosaur ranging from the size of a sparrow to 1.2 m (4 ft) in length.

The fine-grained texture of the mud

Archaeopteryx lithographica, all the specimens of which come from these deposits. The closest modern analogue to the Solnhofen conditions is said to be Orca Basin in the northern Gulf of Mexico, though that area is much deeper than the Solnhofen lagoons.[4]

IUGS geological heritage site

In respect of the locality being a 'first-class paleontological site displaying high-quality reference material for scientists worldwide, including all known specimens of Archaeopteryx ', the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS) included the 'Jurassic Solnhofen-Eichstätt Archaeopteryx Serial Site' in its assemblage of 100 'geological heritage sites' around the world in a listing published in October 2022. The organisation defines an IUGS Geological Heritage Site as 'a key place with geological elements and/or processes of international scientific relevance, used as a reference, and/or with a substantial contribution to the development of geological sciences through history.'[5]

Paleobiota

Main articles: Paleobiota of the Solnhofen Formation and Specimens of Archaeopteryx

Significant members of the Solnhofen paleofauna include Archaeopteryx, pterosaurs, and marine invertebrates.

Psilomelane dendrites

bedding plane
.
Main articles: Psilomelane and Dendrite

bedding planes of the Solnhofen limestone. Dendrites have a chemical-mineralogical origin and are formed by a diffusion
process.

Cultural items made from Solnhofen Limestone

  • Adam and Eve (Fall of Man), 1514 by Ludwig Krug, Bode-Museum Berlin
    Adam and Eve (
    Bode-Museum Berlin
  • Garden of Love/Fountain of Youth, 1525 by Loy Hering (Bode-Museum Berlin)
    Garden of Love/Fountain of Youth, 1525 by
    Bode-Museum
    Berlin)
  • Susannah and the Elders, 1530 by Victor Kayser (Bode-Museum Berlin)
    Susannah and the Elders, 1530 by Victor Kayser (
    Bode-Museum
    Berlin)
  • Salome Receives the Head of St. John the Baptist in the Dungeon, 1648 by Georg Schweigger
    Salome Receives the Head of St. John the Baptist in the Dungeon, 1648 by Georg Schweigger

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d Rauhut, O. W., Heyng, A. M., López-Arbarello, A., & Hecker, A. (2012). A new rhynchocephalian from the Late Jurassic of Germany with a dentition that is unique amongst tetrapods. PLoS ONE, 7(10): e46839.
  2. doi:10.1127/0077-7749/2007/0245-0117
  3. ^ "Jura-Museum Eichstätt".
  4. ^ Bartell K.W., Swinburne N.H.M. and Conway-Morris S. 1990. Solnhofen: a study in Mesozoic palaeontology. Cambridge (transl. and revised from Bartel K.W. 1978. Ein Blick in die Erdgeschichte. Ott.
  5. ^ "The First 100 IUGS Geological Heritage Sites" (PDF). IUGS International Commission on Geoheritage. IUGS. Retrieved 13 November 2022.

External links

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