Description
This pyrite (pyritized) fossil is from Le Clapier, Cornus, Aveyron, Occitane, France. This is a well known fossil collecting area in the south of France. The area has cliffs which contain various exposed sediments that date back to the Cambrian Series. This is a fossil ammonite dating to about 190 million years ago in the Jurassic Period. It is both a beautiful pyrite specimen as well as an exceptional fossil. This well defined ammonite was found in a fossil rich sedimentary layer. It was sawed or split to reveal the pyritized chambers of the extinct creature that resembled today’s nautilus cephalopod. The fossil was cleaned, stabilized and coated with a thin protective lacquer. It has a golden color with a metallic luster on the front and a mix of calcite and pyrite with a golden-bronze patina on the split side (photo2). It measures 1 3/4 x 1 7/16 x 1/4 inches or 45 x 37 x 5 mm.
