Description
Genuine Ecotraustes subfurcatum Ammonite Fossil
This carefully selected fossil is an authentic Ecotraustes subfurcatum ammonite from the Inferior Oolite Group, collected at the renowned Horn Park Quarry near Beaminster, Dorset, UK. It comes from deposits assigned to the Subfurcatum Zone of the Bajocian Stage, representing a fascinating interval in the Middle Jurassic history of southern Britain.
The specimen offers an excellent opportunity to own a genuine British Jurassic ammonite from one of Dorset’s most scientifically important inland fossil localities. Its recognised genus, detailed geological provenance and connection with the ammonite-based Subfurcatum Zone make it particularly suitable for collectors interested in ammonite evolution, biostratigraphy and the varied marine fauna of the Inferior Oolite.
Ammonite Form and Fossil Characteristics
Ecotraustes belongs to a group of extinct marine cephalopods distinguished by their tightly coiled, chambered shells. Members of this ammonite group commonly possess laterally compressed whorls, an open or moderately open umbilical region and curved or sinuous ribbing that becomes particularly noticeable across the outer flanks. The precise details visible on this individual specimen depend upon its natural preservation and the areas exposed from the surrounding Jurassic matrix.
The shell would originally have been divided internally by a series of septa, creating multiple chambers. The animal lived within the final and largest body chamber, while the earlier chambers formed the phragmocone and assisted with buoyancy control. Where shell material has been lost, the fossil may preserve an internal mould showing the shape and ornamentation of the original ammonite.
Ecotraustes is generally placed within the ammonite family Oppeliidae, part of the superfamily Haploceratoidea and the extinct order Ammonitida. Oppeliid ammonites are commonly characterised by compressed shell forms and curved, falcoid or falcate ornamentation.
Subfurcatum Zone and Jurassic Biostratigraphy
The Subfurcatum Zone is an ammonite-defined interval within the Bajocian Stage of the Middle Jurassic. Ammonite zones are established using the appearance, distribution and evolutionary succession of particular ammonite species. Because ammonites evolved rapidly and were widespread throughout Jurassic seas, their fossils allow geologists to correlate rock layers between separate exposures with considerable precision.
The species name subfurcatum refers to the taxon associated with this important interval of geological time. A specimen with this zonal information carries greater scientific and collecting interest than an ammonite offered without a detailed stratigraphical context.
The Bajocian Stage records a period when much of what is now southern England lay beneath a warm, shallow sea. Ammonites shared this marine environment with bivalves, brachiopods, belemnites, gastropods, echinoids and other invertebrates. Their shells accumulated on or within carbonate-rich seabed sediments that eventually hardened into the fossiliferous rocks of the Inferior Oolite succession.
Inferior Oolite Group Geology
The Inferior Oolite Group is a varied sequence of Middle Jurassic marine rocks found across parts of southern and central England. It includes fossil-rich limestones, iron-rich beds, sandy limestones, mud-rich deposits and layers containing rounded carbonate grains known as ooids.
Ooids developed as calcium carbonate accumulated in thin layers around tiny shell fragments, sand grains or other nuclei in moving seawater. Their presence reflects shallow marine conditions in which currents and waves repeatedly moved the grains across the seabed. The wider Inferior Oolite succession records changing water depths, sedimentation rates, seabed environments and marine ecosystems.
Horn Park exposes an exceptionally fossiliferous Inferior Oolite sequence and is particularly celebrated for the abundance and stratigraphical variety of its ammonites. The locality has been studied extensively because its ammonite-bearing horizons preserve a detailed record across parts of the Aalenian and Bajocian stages.
Horn Park Quarry, Beaminster
Situated near Beaminster in Dorset, Horn Park Quarry is regarded as one of Britain’s classic Middle Jurassic fossil localities. Thousands of ammonites have historically been recovered from its highly fossiliferous rocks, allowing palaeontologists to recognise successive fossil assemblages and refine the geological dating of the Inferior Oolite.
The quarry’s scientific significance lies not only in the number of fossils present but also in the carefully recorded sequence of individual ammonite horizons. These horizons reveal changes in species through time and provide valuable evidence for studying ammonite evolution, migration and extinction. Horn Park is therefore an important reference site for understanding the Aalenian–Bajocian succession of southern England.
Authentic Specimen for Collection and Display
This genuine Ecotraustes subfurcatum ammonite fossil is ideal for a British fossil collection, Jurassic display, educational geological cabinet or specialist assemblage of Inferior Oolite ammonites. Natural matrix, incomplete shell areas, mineral deposits, surface texture and small imperfections are genuine features of its long geological history rather than modern manufacturing defects.
The fossil is a carefully chosen individual piece, and the photograph shows the actual specimen you will receive. Full sizing and proportions can be seen in the accompanying photographs.
This fossil is a 100% genuine specimen and includes a generic Certificate of Authenticity card with a lifetime guarantee.
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