Tuesday 12 June 2018

TELLING TIME: AMMONITE SUTURES

Ammonites have intricate patterns on their shells called sutures. The different suture patterns tell us what time period the ammonite is from.

If they are geometric with numerous undivided lobes and saddles and eight lobes around the conch, we refer to their pattern as goniatitic, a characteristic of Paleozoic ammonites.

If they are ceratitic with lobes that have subdivided tips; giving them a saw-toothed appearance and rounded undivided saddles, they are likely Triassic. If they have lobes and saddles that are fluted, with rounded subdivisions instead of saw-toothed, they are likely Jurassic or Cretaceous.