Archaeopteryx Fossil
Image: H. Raab (<a href="//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Vesta~commonswiki" class="mw-redirect" title="User:Vesta~commonswiki">User: Vesta</a>) (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Mineral NameArchaeopteryx Fossil
Chemical FormulaCaCO3 (matrix), Ca5(PO4)3(OH,F,Cl) (fossilized bone)
Mohs Hardness3
Streak ColorWhite
CleavagePerfect rhombohedral (of calcite in matrix, but not typically observed in fine-grained limestone)
FractureUneven to conchoidal
Specific Gravity2.71
Colorslight brown, tan, off-white, darker brown
TransparencyOpaque
Type LocalitySolnhofen, Bavaria, Germany
Mineral GroupFossil (primarily calcium carbonate/phosphate in a carbonate rock matrix)
Usesscientific study, museum display, education
Associated Mineralscalcite, aragonite, apatite
Raritylegendary
Description
The image displays the fossilized skeleton of Archaeopteryx lithographica, preserved in a 'death pose' on a light brown to tan limestone slab, with distinct impressions of feathers around the skeletal remains.
Geological Context
This fossil formed in the fine-grained Solnhofen Limestone, a Lagerstätte from the Late Jurassic period, known for its exceptional preservation of soft tissues and delicate organisms in an anoxic lagoon environment.
