Formation · Jurassic
Solnhofen Limestone
Late Jurassic unit, Bavaria · Eichstätt
The Solnhofen Plattenkalk of Bavaria is the Late Jurassic lagoon deposit that gave the world Archaeopteryx, the pterosaurs Rhamphorhynchus and Pterodactylus, the horseshoe crab Mesolimulus, shrimps, fish and the floating crinoid Saccocoma. Saccocoma plates, small fish and dendrites (manganese pseudofossils) are affordable; pterosaurs and complete Mesolimulus with death tracks are among the most valuable fossils sold. Solnhofen specimens are frequently 'improved' with paint, so ask for UV photographs, and note that the town of Eichstätt has its own slightly older beds.
| Country | Germany |
|---|---|
| Region | Bavaria, Eichstätt |
| Age | Tithonian, Late Jurassic |
| Age range | ~152–148 Ma |
| PBDB collections | 97 collections, 847 occurrences· Paleobiology Database |
Collecting and legality
Germany has no national export ban, but Bavaria protects specimens of exceptional scientific value and Archaeopteryx is effectively unsaleable; the quarries at Eichstätt, Solnhofen and Mörnsheim sell collecting days and the material found there is yours. Buy from established dealers and keep the quarry name.
Lithology and setting
Finely laminated micritic limestone (Plattenkalk) deposited in stagnant, hypersaline lagoons between sponge-microbial reefs; the same stone was quarried for lithography.
Commonly recorded taxa (PBDB)
Genera most often recorded from this unit in the Paleobiology Database (first 200 occurrences): Insecta (12), Cymatophlebia (10), Rhamphorhynchus (9), Stenophlebia (8), Tarsophlebia (7), Gryllidae (6), Lithacoceras (6), Isophlebia (5), Pycnophlebia (5), Urogomphus (5), Eumorbaeschna (4), Malmelater (4), Aeschnogomphus (3), Cyrtophyllites (3), Ditomoptera (3).
Source: Paleobiology Database
Elsewhere
Cite this article
Stratum Study. "Solnhofen Limestone" (Formation). Stratum Study pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-19. https://stratum.black/study/formations/solnhofen-limestone. Accessed 2026-09-20.
@misc{stratum-solnhofen-limestone,
title = {Solnhofen Limestone},
author = {{Stratum Study}},
howpublished = {\url{https://stratum.black/study/formations/solnhofen-limestone}},
year = {2026},
note = {Formation article, Stratum Study pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-19; sources: stratum, pbdb, wikidata, commons. Accessed 2026-09-20.}
} Citations carry the pack version and the article's as-of date so they resolve to the same text later. The facts themselves belong to the sources listed below; cite those for the science.