Description:
I was privileged to pick up this wonderful mass fish mortality
plate from an associate recently. The plate was legally quarried
from a private ranch. The adjoining known collecting areas on government-managed
land have been closed to the public for many years. This plate
has five mostly complete specimens along with many that are partial
or partially exposed. Further careful preparation would reveal
more detail on several of the fish. The plate itself is solid and
heavy, weighing in at 6 pounds 10 ounces. It would make an intriguing
collection centerpiece, or, add a decorative flourish to any room.
This is the last plate I have to offer in 2014.
The
fossil fish from Lake Goisute have a different type preservation
compared to the more commonly found “split fish” or “18
inch layer” fish from Fossil Lake. The Lake Gosiute shales
are often dolostones, limestones, or oil shales. Though the fish
in both lakes comprise the same species, the ones from Lake Goisute
have a different look and presence. They exhibit very good bony
detail and a somewhat ghostly appearance. Their distinctive look
makes them instantly recognizable to the knowledgeable collector's
eye. The fossil fish from Lake Gosiute are also difficult to acquire
since the prohibition of collecting in these beds a few decades
ago.
This particular fish is Knightia alta, a close relative of Knightia
eocaena. Knightia was a schooling fish, which is sometimes found
in mass mortality layers, confined to a single plane, indicative
of a single event. Theories as to the reasons include stratified
water turnovers as well as poisoning due to blooms of blue-green
algae.
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