NUMMULITIC LIMESTONE - 45 million years old - France
« backNUMMULITIC LIMESTONE
45 million years old (Eocene epoch)
Soissons, Aisne province, France
Foraminifera are single-celled, mostly marine creatures that are usually too small to see, but one species, Nummulites laevigatus, grew to a large size. It has a disc-shaped, multi-chambered shell and was extremely common in the seas during Eocene and Oligocene times.
Some limestones in southern Europe and North Africa are packed full of Nummulites and are known as nummulitic limestones. The ancient Egyptians are said to have used nummulite shells as coins and the great pyramids of Giza are constructed of nummulitic limestone.
This is a good example of nummulitic limestone showing the individual shells on both sides.
45 million years old (Eocene epoch)
Soissons, Aisne province, France
Foraminifera are single-celled, mostly marine creatures that are usually too small to see, but one species, Nummulites laevigatus, grew to a large size. It has a disc-shaped, multi-chambered shell and was extremely common in the seas during Eocene and Oligocene times.
Some limestones in southern Europe and North Africa are packed full of Nummulites and are known as nummulitic limestones. The ancient Egyptians are said to have used nummulite shells as coins and the great pyramids of Giza are constructed of nummulitic limestone.
This is a good example of nummulitic limestone showing the individual shells on both sides.
Click on a picture for a larger image
Size: 14 x 12 x 3 centimetres
Weight: 692 grams
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