Ammonites and Predators

click on pictures to enlarge.
© Pictures : MJX, except otherwise specified.

We visited for you…

Sisteron, sub-prefecture of the department of the Alps de Haute Provence, is a small city that generally one crosses without no regard, not that there is nothing to see, but that one is generally in a hurry to plunge in the "Grande Bleue". This summer, in the shade of its famous citadel, it hid in the lanes of the old city, particularly rare event, the fabulous collection of my friend Luc Ebbo, the exhibition"Ammonites and predatory".

Primarily of regional origin (the geological reserve of the Alps de Haute Provence : http://www.resgeol04.org/ ), this exceptional geological inheritance is the result of more than 20 years of research on the field and work of release in workshop.

Born in Digne on November 4, 1976, Luc was interested very early in the fossils.

As of his youth, his grandfather, then Maire of La Mûre, had involved him in the search of champignons& and fossils in the mountains of Saint-André-Les-Alpes.

Irresistibly attracted by these strange stones, he was to track them without slackening, constituting day after day, one of the most extraordinary collections of unrolled ammonites of the SE of France.

Of international reputation, this collection in particular took place in the exhibition of prestige which proceeded in Munich in November 99 and many of his unknown parts hitherto were the subject of scientific publications.

Some local exhibitions have followed at Castellane(04) mid 2000, at Villecroze (83) mid 2001, an exhibition at Sisteron in summer 2002, another in the "Musée National d' Histoire Naturelle" of Paris, within the framework of the exhibition on Alcide D' Orbigny, mid 2002 (cfr Lithorama n°1 - January 2003 and http://www.cem-paleo.com), a last one finally at Laragne-Monteglin (05) in July/August 2003.

High education in the field of earth sciences quite naturally came to serve this passion where art, science and technology mix together to offer to the attention of the curious , the amateurs or the professionals, these wonders of nature discovered and revealed thanks to thousands of working hours.

Not having never wanted to leave this fabulous area of the Alpes de Haute Provence, he is a teacher at Tartonne (04), which still gives him time to be devoted to its passion: research and development of the geological inheritance of the area.

The exhibition shows primarily unrolled ammonites of the Secondary layers - Cretaceous (primarily Barremian, but also Hauterivian, Aptian and Albian) of the area (Saint-André les Alpes, Barrème, Sisteron, Lure Mountain, ...)

Costidiscus sp. – Macroscaphites yvani Upper Barremian Alpes de Haute Provence	Emericiceras thiollierei Barremian Alpes de Haute Provence
Heteroceras moriezense Barremian Alpes de Haute Provence	Kutatissites sp. Barremian Alpes de Haute Provence

Some ammonites of the same epochs but of other areas also appear in the inventory (Nipponites of Japan, Douvillioceras of Siberia,…).

In addition to the ammonites, the exhibition also presents supposed predatories of those : ichtyosaurus, plesiosaurus, shark and giant fish, all
released and emphasized by Luc in the valley of Jabron (Aptian, Albian).

Fish skul Albian	Shark Albian
Ichtyosaurus – Cenomanian – Alpes de Haute Provence	Plesiosaurus

But the most spectacular pieces are what Luc calls the "marine cemeteries". It is a large ammonite (for example Emericiceras emerici) having been used as an obstacle and having caused accumulation of other smaller ammonites.

Ammonite principale : Emericiceras emerici Barrémien inférieur Alpes de Haute Provence	Autres ammonites : Emericiceras, Anahamulina, Acrioceras, Barremites, Lytoceras, Phylloceras, … Barrémien inférieur Alpes de Haute Provence

All these fossils were released and reconstituted to perfection thanks to modern techniques perfectly controlled by Luc.
Associated to this exhibition, were proposed to the visitors some specimens of insects imprisoned in amber, a cycle of conferences and some "field trips - walks".

This exceptional exhibition is proposed in hiring. (cfr http://www.luc-ebbo.com ).

References.

1. L. Ebbo - Provence, paradis des géologues, B. Vial 04160 Château-Arnoux 2000 (livre disponible au CMPB – 15€ - contacter marc@jauniaux.com)
2. Ebbo , barrémien et ammonites du Sud-Est de la France, Minéraux & Fossiles, jul/août 2000 n°286
3. Centre d'Etudes Méditerranéennes : http://www.cem-paleo.com
4. R. Pierrot et all. - Inventaire minéralogique de la France n°4 - 06 Alpes Maritimes
5. C. Gouvernet et all. - Guides géologiques régionaux - PROVENCE
6. C. Ollivier - Sites fossilifères des Alpes de Haute-Provence
7. C. Ollivier - Sites fossilifères du Sud-Est de la France
8. Annales du Muséum d'histoire naturelle de Nice - GAIA - Tome VII - 1990 Edition du centre d'études méditerranéennes.
9. Geological Map of France - 1/80.000 - n°224 - Castellane
10. Geological Map of France - 1/80.000 - n°212 - Digne
11. Geological Map of France - 1/50.000 - n°945 XXXV-41 - Entrevaux
12. Geological Map of France - 1/50.000 - n° XXXV-40 – Allos
13. L. Ebbo – Evolution de deux genres d'ammonites déroulées du Barrémien du Sud-Est de la France – Minéraux et Fossiles, Juillet/Août 2003 n° 319
14. Ammonites et prédateurs : http://www.luc-ebbo.com
15.  Geology of Provence, conference by Marc Jauniaux at the CMPB.

Rem : the sites mentioned here above are located in private properties and/or the geological reserve of High-Provence, so that it goes without saying
that their excavation, even their visit is rather compromised.

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