Brève description
Messel est le site le plus riche au monde pour la compréhension du milieu vivant de l'éocène, période géologique située entre – 57 et – 36 millions d'années. Il fournit notamment des informations uniques sur les premières étapes de l'évolution des mammifères, dont il livre des fossiles exceptionnellement bien préservés, allant de squelettes totalement articulés jusqu'au contenu de l'estomac d'animaux de cette époque.
Messel Pit Fossil Site
Messel Pit is the richest site in the world for understanding the living environment of the Eocene, between 57 million and 36 million years ago. In particular, it provides unique information about the early stages of the evolution of mammals and includes exceptionally well-preserved mammal fossils, ranging from fully articulated skeletons to the contents of stomachs of animals of this period.
Messel est le site le plus riche au monde pour la compréhension du milieu vivant de l'éocène, période géologique située entre – 57 et – 36 millions d'années. Il fournit notamment des informations uniques sur les premières étapes de l'évolution des mammifères, dont il livre des fossiles exceptionnellement bien préservés, allant de squelettes totalement articulés jusqu'au contenu de l'estomac d'animaux de cette époque.
إن ميسيل هو الموقع الأغنى في العالم لجهة شموله للأوساط الحيّة منذ الإيوسين وهي حقبة جيولوجية تقع بين -57 و -36 مليون سنة . ويؤمن هذا الموقع معلومات فريدة متعلّقة بالمراحل الأولى لنمو الثدييات بحيث أنه يحفظ وبشكل ممتاز بعض المتحجّرات التي تتراوح بين الهياكل العظمية التي لا تزال مفاصلها حسنة التركيب إلى مضمون أمعاء الحيوانات التي كانت موجودة في تلك الحقبة الزمنية.
Source: UNESCO/BPI
麦塞尔化石遗址是了解5700至3600万年间始新世生活环境极为珍贵的遗址，是哺乳动物早期进化的唯一资料。从完好的骨架到那个时期动物胃里的物质，哺乳动物的化石仍保存完好。
Source: UNESCO/ERI
Карьер Мессель является местом обнаружения самых ценных окаменелостей, датируемых эоценом, относящихся к периоду времени 57-36 млн. лет назад. В частности, это место предоставляет уникальную информацию о первых этапах развития млекопитающих, поскольку здесь найдены прекрасно сохранившиеся окаменелые останки доисторических животных – от целых скелетов до содержимого желудков зверей, живших в те времена.
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Source: UNESCO/ERI
Sitio fosilífero de Messel
Messel es el mejor sitio fosilífero del mundo para conocer el medio ambiente del Eoceno, el periodo geológico que se inició unos 57 millones de años antes de nuestra era y finalizó unos 21 millones de años después. El sitio proporciona una información única en su género sobre las primeras etapas de evolución de los mamíferos, de los que se encuentran fósiles excepcionalmente bien conservados, desde esqueletos perfectamente articulados hasta contenidos de sus estómagos.
Source: UNESCO/ERI
Site fossilifère de Messel
© UNESCO
Description longue
[Uniquement en anglais]
The Messel Pit has provided a wealth of fossils that have greatly increased understanding of the Eocene Age. It is a small site approximately 1,000 m long (north to south) and 700 m wide (east to west).
The Eocene ('dawn of new times') epoch (57-36 million years ago) was a remarkable period in the evolution of life on Earth. This was the time when mammals became firmly established in all the principal land ecosystems. They also reinvaded the seas (e.g. whales) and took to the air (e.g. bats). During this period of geological time, North America, Europe and Asia were in continuous land contact and the partial explanation of current distribution patterns is provided by the Eocene fossil record.
The Messel Pit provides the single best site which contributes to the understanding of the middle part of this period. Messel is also exceptional in the quality of preservation, quantity and diversity of fossils. Messel offers fully articulated skeletons and the outline of the entire body as well as feathers, hairs and stomach contents.
The sediments of the Messel formation lie on deposits of 270-290 million-year-old Red Sandstone and crystalline magmatic primary rock outcrops.
During the Eocene epoch, subsidence along faults in the Earth's crust led to the formation of a lake basin. The gradual subsidence of old sediments resulted in the formation of new sediments above them, and over time immense deposits accumulated. The oil-shale bed at Messel originally extended to a depth of 190 m. The subsidence of the deposits preserved them from erosion. Outcrops of older seams from the Eocene succession are found on the slopes of the pit. The location of the Eocene Lake Messel lay south of its present position. This accounts for the site appearing to have had a tropical to subtropical climate.
The fossils found here are providing a unique insight into an early stage of mammal, evolution when many of the basic steps in diversification were being achieved. But mammals were not the only component of the fauna - birds, reptiles, fish, insects and plant remains all contribute to an extraordinary fossil assemblage.
In terms of fossil localities which provide a window into the Eocene Age, Messel is the best and most productive example discovered to date. In contrast to other fossil sites that are marine, Messel can be considered as the single best 'classic' locality snapshot of life as it was in the Eocene. It has been identified as one of the four most significant fossil sites in the world by several senior palaeontologists.
Source : UNESCO/CLT/WHC
