 Description:
It’s hard to imagine something this small and fragile could
be preserved so perfectly in stone. The fossils from this site
are found in paper shales. These shales offer some of the best-preserved
insects and plants to be found anywhere in the world. I am not
with certainty able to confirm these are insect eggs, fish eggs,
or, that in fact they are eggs at all. However, logic would indicate
they were a clutch of eggs deposited in a gelatinous mass upon
the calm waters of this ancient fossil lake. If so, this is an
exceptionally rare find and a true fossil treasure. Please contact
me if you have insight into this specimen.
The state once had a much wetter and more temperate climate back
in the Miocene. There were many more lakes in what is now the driest
state in the USA. The Sierra uplift dramatically changed the climate
and rainfall in the state.
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