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A bivolve mollusc in Dukhan
© Qatar National Museum
Arabia Separates from Africa (Eocene)
Object Name: Bivalve Mollusc
Period: Arabia Separates from Africa (Eocene)
Date: 55–30 Million Years Ago
Provenance: Gift - 24/4/13 - Taylor, Norman
Dimensions: 35.5 mm (H) x 48.9 mm (W) x 47.4 mm (D) 95.3 g (Wt)
Medium: fossil
Registration Number: QNM.2013.88.149
Place Of Discovery/Findspot:  Dukhan
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The object is a fossilized limestone cast of a bivalve shell, which is a type of shellfish characterized by having two shells linked together by an adductor muscle. Bivalves, like gastropods, belong to the phylum Mollusca. The specimen was found in a rock deposit.
HISTORICAL CONTEXT QATAR
The Arabian Plate began to separate from the African Plate in
this period and moved gradually towards the Eurasian Plate.
The Arabian Gulf and the Zagros Mountains formed as a result
of the Arabian and Eurasian Plates colliding.
Qatar was home to a range of marine species. Fossils of ancient
plants and animals from this time have been discovered,
including sea urchins, sharks, sawfish and dugongs.
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Dukhan
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Gallery 1