KATE TEST 2

Fossil Trilobite Ogyginus Corndensis Ordovician Upper Gilwern Powys Wales UK + Stand 

Fossil Trilobite – Ogyginus corndensis
Ordovician, Upper Gilwern, Powys, Wales, UK

Description
A well-preserved fossil trilobite identified as Ogyginus corndensis, presented on a natural matrix slab. The specimen is largely complete and displays clear morphological features, including the cephalon (head), thoracic segments, and pygidium (tail).

The trilobite shows good overall definition and contrast against the matrix, making it suitable for both study and display.

Geological Context
This specimen originates from the Upper Gilwern deposits in Powys, Wales, part of the Ordovician period. The Lower Llanvirn Series, a subdivision of the Ordovician dating to approximately 460 million years ago.

The Ordovician period represents a time of significant marine diversification, often referred to as part of the Great Ordovician Biodiversification Event. Trilobites were among the most abundant and diverse marine arthropods during this time.

The Gilwern area is a recognised locality for well-preserved trilobites within fine sedimentary rocks laid down in ancient marine environments.

Trilobites
Trilobites are extinct marine arthropods that lived in oceans for over 250 million years. Ogyginus corndensis is a species known from Ordovician strata in the UK and is characterised by its broad body form and well-defined segmentation.

These animals lived on or near the sea floor and are an important part of early marine ecosystems

Presentation
The specimen is supplied:

  • With an acrylic display stand

Suitable for display or as part of a collection.

Details

  • Species: Ogyginus corndensis
  • Age: Ordovician (Lower Llanvirn Series)
  • Location: Upper Gilwern, Powys, Wales, UK
  • Matrix Size: 12.8 cm
  • Trilobite Size: 10 × 6.2 cm

Condition
The trilobite is largely complete, with good preservation of overall structure. A small portion along the lower horizontal plane is not present, but this does not detract significantly from the overall display quality. The specimen remains well defined and clearly visible on the matrix.

A representative example of a classic British Ordovician trilobite from a well-documented locality.  code 100- 2085

 

What is a Fossil?

Fossils give fascinating prehistorical evidence of past life on our planet.

Usually, fossilization starts once the animal or plant has died. Most animals and plants are eaten or simply recycled back into the earth. The best fossils occur when this process happens rapidly, shortly after death has occurred. Conditions have to be exactly right for a fossil to be produced. Most commonly, this is below water. Decay and deterioration are slowed down because the specimen is covered or entombed in either sediment, muds, sands or volcanic ash or other material, layer upon layer, and over a period that is hard to imagine, usually thousands to millions of years.

Preservation takes place very gradually, as it compacts, it slowly turns to rock. Over time, the plant or animal is replaced by minerals and with chemical changes, leaving an extraordinary replica of the original. In some cases, the pressure and temperature increase, caused by sedimentation, can result in the release of hydrogen and oxygen, leaving a carbon impression of the specimen in sedimentary rock. This process is called carbonization.

Fossils can become preserved in various different ways. For example, wood can become petrified by a process of minerals seeping into the saturated wood, resulting in a gradual process of the wood becoming hard, and resembling stone, often with extraordinary colours. In perimineralization or petrification, after the soft structures have decayed, the hard parts, in particular bones, remain. In some cases, the other minerals completely replace the original specimen. Generally, most fossils represent the hard parts such as bones, shells, leaves, seeds or woody parts of plants.

Fossils can be internal or external moulds of the original specimen. They can also be the some of the original matter, impregnated with chemicals such as silica or calcite.

Fossils can also be indirect, such as in animal foot prints or burrows. These are known as trace fossils.