The Messel pit (German: Grube Messel) is a disused quarry near the village of Messel (Landkreis Darmstadt-Dieburg, Hesse) about 35 km (22 mi) southeast of Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Bituminous shale was mined there. Because of its abundance of well-preserved fossils dating from the middle of the … See more Brown coal and later oil shale was actively mined from 1859. The pit first became known for its wealth of fossils around 1900, but serious scientific excavation only started around the 1970s, when falling oil prices made … See more The area around the Messel Pit is believed to have been geologically and tectonically active during the Eocene. Leading scientists hypothesize that events much like the 1986 See more Exhibits from the pit may be seen in the Messel town, the fossil Museum in Messel, the Hessisches Landesmuseum in Darmstadt (5 km (3.1 mi) from Messel) and also the Senckenberg Museum in Frankfurt am Main (some 30 km (19 mi) from Messel). … See more • Smith, Krister T.; Schaal, Stephan; Habersetzer, Jörg; Herlyn, Hendrik G.; Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung (2024). Messel : an ancient greenhouse ecosystem. Stuttgart. ISBN 978-3-510-61411-0. OCLC 1054359916 See more The current surface of the Messel pit is roughly 60 m (200 ft) below the local land and is about 0.7 km (0.27 sq mi) in area. The oil-shale bed originally extended to a depth of 190 m (620 ft). 47 million years ago in the Eocene when the Messel deposits formed, the … See more The Messel Pit provides the best preserved evidence of Geiseltalian flora and fauna so far discovered, with over 1000 species identified. Most other sites are lucky to contain partial See more • Prehistoric mammals portal • Lagerstätte • List of fossil sites (with link directory) • Paleofauna of the Messel Pit See more WebJun 25, 2024 · It is located about 10 kilometres northeast of Darmstadt and is an open-cast mine that has been closed since 1970 and has been mining ore and oil shale since 1859. The pit is 60 meters deep, has a diameter of 800 meters and is known mainly for well-preserved fossils from the Eocene era (about 50 million years ago).

Messel Pit Fossil Site – The Legacy of the Environment and

WebMessel Pit is the richest site in the world for understanding the living environment of the Eocene of 48 million years ago. It provides unique information about the early stages of the evolution of mammals including a herd of primitive horses and includes exceptionally well-preserved fossils from fully articulated skeletons to hair, feathers ... http://world-heritage-datasheets.unep-wcmc.org/datasheet/output/site/messel-pit-fossil-site/ ccny online

The Messel Pit Fossil Site - A window into prehistory (Germany)

WebSep 7, 2016 · Credit: Springer Heidelberg In cooperation with CONICET in Argentina, Senckenberg scientists examined a spectacular discovery from the UNESCO World Heritage site Messel Pit: A fossil snake in... WebJun 19, 2012 · The pit was a quarry originally mined for the oil in the shale there; but over the years, it has become the richest site in the world for understanding the living environment of the Eocene, the... WebMessel Pit is the richest site in the world for understanding the living environment of the Eocene, between 57 million and 36 million years ago. In particular, it provides unique … busy bee traveler