| A typical outcrop of fossiliferous siliceous shales in the middle to upper Miocene Monterey Formation (around 15 to 8 million years old), exposed along the Pacific Coast in the vicinity of Santa Barbara, California. The Monterey Formation here yields an extensive fish fauna, consisting of often excellently preserved complete skeletons. Photograph courtesy The Nautiloid Network. I eidted and processed the image through photoshop. |