References

Grube Messel offers a unique snapshot of the Eocene epoch's fossil ecosystem. This site, once an oil shale pit and now a conserved lake within the Rhine Graben rift valley, reveals critical insights into the adaptive radiation of mammals and birds following the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event. The extensive series of lakes formed in this down-warping of Earth's crust preserved a diverse range of fossils, including extinct mammal groups, providing evidence of the ecological niches filled by mammals and birds during this transformative period. Volcanism associated with the opening Atlantic Ocean and the Rhine Rift Valley further shaped the landscape, contributing to the unique fossil record found at Messel.

(Ed.). (2012). References. Evolution of Fossil Ecosystems, Second Edition, 268–279. https://doi.org/10.1201/b15128-22