Buzz
In the near future, a dinosaur fossil skeleton will be up for auction in Switzerland, starting at 5 million USD, although it's not the priciest one ever auctioned.
Millions of years after dinosaurs ruled the Earth, their skeletons turned into fossils, sought after by scientists for research purposes. Yet, some become fossil hunters, seeking them for trading and auctions.
Just last Thursday, a colossal Tyrannosaurus Rex fossil skeleton was unveiled to the public in Switzerland, and next month, it's slated for auction.
This massive fossil skeleton goes by the name TRX-293 Trinity, set to go under the hammer in Zurich on April 18th with a starting bid of 5.43 million USD.
Standing at 3.9 meters tall and stretching 11.6 meters long, this marks the third T-Rex skeleton worldwide to hit the auction block and the first in Europe.
The name of this skeleton is 'Trinity', because it's composed of three different individuals all found in the US,' Cyril Koller, the auction house owner conducting the sale, stated.
The rest of the name comes from the 293 bones within its structure.
Koller believes that a specific individual won't have the capacity to purchase this fossil skeleton, although he's certain the public will still get to view it in the future.
Hans-Jakob Siber, a paleontologist at the Aathal Dinosaur Museum in Switzerland, stated that T-Rex fossil discoveries are extremely rare.
'A complete skeleton like this is extremely rare,' Siber told Reuters. 'In fact, until around 1970 or 1980, humanity had only discovered fossils of fewer than 10 Tyrannosaurus Rex, most of which are housed in US museums.'
Nearly all T-Rex fossils are held in museum collections, so whenever a fossil set is auctioned off externally, it garners significant public interest.
Two other T-Rexes found in North America - known as Sue and Stan - Sue, the fossilized tyrannosaurus, was sold to the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago in October 1997 for 8.4 million USD; Meanwhile, the most complete T-Rex fossil in the world named Stan was auctioned by Christie's in New York City for a record 31.8 million USD (over 733 billion VND).
How are fossils formed?
Fossils form under very specific conditions, which can include carbonization, freezing, being trapped in rock, or encased in a substance like resin or amber. However, these conditions are not readily available everywhere and at all times.
For this reason, only a small fraction of the organisms that ever existed on Earth appear in fossil samples. Additionally, most fossil samples are imperfect, although modern techniques for reconstruction exist, they are still not entirely accurate. Therefore, while research is crucial, it is also challenging and demanding.
The knowledge about fossils is extensive and requires an understanding of geology. First, let's delve into Earth's geology and its influence on fossil formation.
Earth is in constant motion, slowly and with continental separation, internal movements. All these activities will push new layers of rock over the old surface. This is why some rock formations have layers, showing vertical or swirling patterns instead of horizontal layers.
It's also why rocks of the same age can be found in various places around the world (due to the Earth's surface movements shaping geology from one place to another). We can observe two crucial points to understand fossils. One is sedimentary rocks forming Earth's surface. Two is Earth's movement processes significantly impacting where sedimentary rock masses appear and how organisms are affected during continental movements.
Whether a creature can fossilize or not is determined by many factors, but there are 3 fundamental factors:
Creatures must have hard, non-decomposable parts like bones, shells, teeth, or wood.... then be in extremely favorable conditions where even soft organisms like insects or jellyfish can fossilize.
When a creature dies, it must be protected to prevent destructive impacts. If its body parts are crushed or eroded, the possibility of fossilization cannot be realized.
Creatures need to be buried and covered by substances that can help them resist harsh conditions that could cause decomposition. The bodies of marine creatures often easily fossilize. Because the carcasses of marine organisms sink to the seabed covered in sand, sand in subsequent geological eras will turn into limestone or schist, small sediments are unlikely to damage the creature's remains.
