Short Informations
Excursion on June, 9, 2006 arround "Grube Prinz von Hessen"
(in German; for details please see German version of this homepage) 
May 12, 2006
The Messel Pit Fossil Site: A National Geotope
The Hannover Academy of Geosciences has taken up the task of making the geological grandeur of Germany better known to the general public. By means of a competition called "The Most Significant Geotopes of Germany," the Academy has sought to stimulate a broader public interest in these unique and remarkable legacies of the Earth’s past. The geotopes chosen are exceptional geological sites, often of spectacular origins; most importantly, they are all open to the public.
On May 12, 2006, the Messel Pit Fossil Site, along with 76 other geotopes, was chosen from a field of 180 entries to receive the title National Geotope. The Senckenberg Research Institute, operator of the Messel Site, accepted the honor during the awards ceremony in Hannover. The idea of having a book on the 77 selected geotopes was discussed there as well.
Look, E.-R. & Feldmann, L. (2006): Faszination Geologie – Die bedeutendsten Geotope Deutschlands. 1-179; Stuttgart (Schweizerbart).
Document with the award to the Messel Pit Fossil Site as national geotope, May 12, 2006.
Further information on these particularly important geotopes in Germany can be found under http://www.geoakademie.de/.
Public talks on March, 29, and 30, 2006
Ten years "Messel Pit Fossil Site" on UNESCO World Heritage List
(in German; for details please see German version of this homepage)
The New Vernissage Volume from the Series UNESCO World Heritage Sites - The Messel Pit Fossil Site
(at the moment available only in German)
Messel Pit Fossil Site – Snapshots from the Eocene, Vernissage, UNESCO World Heritage Sites Series, No. 21/05, 13th year, 68 pp ., 83 illus .; Heidelberg (Vernissageverlag) 2005. ISSN 1434-5986; Price: 6 euros
Ten years ago, on December 9, 1995, the open-pit mine at Messel, following an eventful history, was placed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. In honor of this anniversary, various researchers have written eight popular-scientific articles providing some impressive snapshots of the lower Middle Eocene of Messel. The 65 pages of photographs and illustrations help bring to life the paratropical ecosystem of this extraordinary European lake environment of 47 million years ago. The topics covered are geophysics and geology, age of the Messel Formation, flora and climate, entomology and, of course, vertebrates. The extraordinary preservation of the fossils, above all those of mammals, has made the fossil site world famous. This portrait of Messel is complemented by a short chronicle of the open-pit mine, information on the three museums in the state of Hesse with Messel fossils in their permanent exhibits, and a list of literature relevant to Messel.
Content:
Explosive Tropical Paradise – Geology and Geophysics in Time Lapse H. Buness (Geowissenschaftliche Gemeinschaftsaufgaben - Institut im Geozentrum Hannover), M. Felder (Senckenberg, Messel), G. Gabriel (Geowissenschaftliche Gemeinschaftsaufgaben - Institut im Geozentrum Hannover), F.-J. Harms (Senckenberg, Messel)
Knowing the Time – Contexts in the Dating of Messel D.F. Mertz (J. Gutenberg-Universität, Mainz)
The Green Eocene – A Species-Rich Flora in the Paratropical Climate V. Wilde (Senckenberg, Frankfurt am Main)
Petrified Flyweights – Insect Diversity at the Level of the Tropics S. Wedmann (Rheinische F.-W.-Universität, Bonn)
Environmental Informants of Lake Messel – The Fishes N. Micklich (Hessisches Landesmuseum Darmstadt)
Double Lives and Cold Blood – Amphibians and Reptiles S. Schaal (Senckenberg, Frankfurt am Main)
Fine Feathered Fossils of the Eocene – The Birdlife of Messel G. Mayr (Senckenberg, Frankfurt am Main)
Stars of the Oil Shale – The Mammals G. Storch, J. Habersetzer, T. Martin, M. Morlo, J.L. Franzen (all Senckenberg, Frankfurt am Main)
After 47 Million Years Awakened by a Kiss – A Chronicle of the Messel Fossil Site S. Schaal (Senckenberg, Frankfurt am Main)
The Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum F.F. Steininger (Senckenberg, Frankfurt am Main)
The Hesse State Museum, Darmstadt G. Gruber (Hessisches Landesmuseum Darmstadt)
The Messel Fossil and Local History Museum M. Höllwarth (Museumsverein Messel)
Editorial coordination: S. Schaal (Senckenberg, Frankfurt am Main)
This volume is presently available at magazine shops, the Senckenberg Natural History Museum, the Hesse State Museum, and the Messel Fossil and Local History Museum (at the Messel site). It will also be available at the temporary visitors information center (an aggregation of metal huts at the edge of the Messel pit) after the start of the guided tours in 2006.
S. Schaal, Frankfurt am Main
Courier Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg - Volume 255
This issue of the Courier Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg, Volume 255, focuses on geoscientific aspects of the Middle Eocene Messel Pit Fossil Site. Various geophysical investigations, which provide a glimpse into the depths of the Messel oil-shale (black-pelite) deposit and other deposits of similar composition in the surrounding area, form one central theme of this issue. These studies were carried out primarily in connection with the exploratory drilling in 2001, which is described in detail in CFS 252. The age of the basalt formation, unknown at that time, was able to be determined from samples recovered by this bore. According to this dating, the creation of the Messel oil shale must have begun about 47 million years ago, some 2 million years later than was previously assumed.
The excavations at the Messel Fossil Site, taking place every summer for the past few decades, are still rendering exciting and impressive discoveries, including many fossils of considerable significance. Various paleontological topics thus make up the other focus of this issue of this CSF volume devoted to Messel. Articles include recent findings on climate and on vegetation dynamics. The first comprehensive taxa catalogue of the fossil insects of Messel is here, as well as new evidence concerning the known garfishes of the genus Atractosteus. There are also four articles on reptiles, three concerning the identification of fossil snakes through important morphological features of their numerous vertebrae. The fascinating findings presented here should not disguise the fact that we have yet to sufficiently understand this unusual greenhouse-climate world of the Eocene of Central Europe. This volume of the Courier will certainly serve as a stimulus for further Messel investigations.
Contact address: http://www.schweizerbart.de/ Senckenberg Publications > Courier Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg