beautiful opalescent colorful ammonite, called Ammolite, from Canada

A free-standing Ammolite from Alberta, Canada, with dominant emerald green and amber iridescence, interspersed with deep red accents in the thinner shell areas.

Ammolite consists of the iridescent aragonite shell of prehistoric ammonites. In the Upper Cretaceous Bearpaw Shale, the shell was transformed into its present opalescent form approximately 65 million years ago under pressure and mineralization.

The brecciated structure (the finely cracked pattern of the shell) is authentic and documents the natural diagenesis under pressure. Collectors specifically seek this pattern as proof of authenticity.

Only a narrow geographical strip along the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains yields this quality, primarily in the St. Mary River basin.

The color development of the individual iridescent fields follows the layer thickness variation of the original shell: red-orange appears in thinner layers, green-blue in thicker ones.

Presented on a black wire stand. A collector's item, suitable as the centerpiece of a collection.