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| The Heteromorphous ones or "unrolled ammonites"
of the average Gault of the site of Courcelles |
| Protanisoceras (
below ) |
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Here now that these
small animals, which had accustomed us to very regular rollings up, offer
some alternatives even more captivating to us. What a idea to be held! These
forms already made run much ink.... Evolutionary aberration? genetic panic?
or quite simply other species adapted to certain conditions of the medium...?
I will not venture on this field. I can simply make share of my observations
on the ground. The specimens are rather numerous in Courcelles in all the
height of the clays put at the day (approximately 10 meters thickness).
But their conservation is poor. The part places dwelling is not more q'
one print in clay in general with the fragile upstream part pyritous. The
specimens shown opposite (extracted the bench "B", are of an extreme
scarcity. This east can be due partly to the extreme smoothness of the shell
which did not offer enough matter to the chemical conversion of the sedimentary
medium. |
| Pseudohelicoceras ( ci-dessous
) |
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I observe also a correlation between
fine shells and ornamentation. The majority of the unrolled ammonites of
this level have a roughcast shell of prickles as the ammonites "Douvilleceras"
which they also have a weak shell thickness compared to the hoplites for
example. Is this an adaptation "system of defense" compared to
the environment? ... |
| Metahamites ?? ( below ) |
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The specimen opposite and below
comes from the higher limestone deposit of the career of Courcelles. This
bench, unfortunately, is very faded by the infiltrations of rainwater, considering
the proximity of the vegetable layer. Fauna is very badly preserved there.
But some exceptions exist. |
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| Other specimens |
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