Fossilization example - Compression

Dublin Core

Title

Alternative Title

Part and Counterpart of Fly (Diptera) and Ant (Hymenoptera)

Description

(unnumbered) Compression fossils most often form in sedimentary rocks called shales which form in the bottom of lake or sea beds. The same fossil can be seen in both the part and counterpart but different features are often preserved on both sides. Here we see the fly preserved as an iron stain and the and preserved as a carbon film.

Spatial Coverage

Green River Formation - Shale

Temporal Coverage

Eocene

Type

PhysicalObject

Source

Rights

Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives license

Date Created

50 million years

Files

Collection

Dunn-Seiler Museum

Citation

“Fossilization example - Compression,” Mississippi State University Libraries, accessed August 21, 2026, https://msstate-exhibits.libraryhost.com/items/show/1658.

Item Relations

This item has no relations.

Transcribe This Item

Compression part counterpart.jpg