MILLS GEOLOGICAL

Our featured specimen

Pepper tree (Schinoxylon actinoporosum)
Laney Shale Member, Green River Formation, Eocene
Blue Forest, Wyoming
** You have to admit. This is a stunning piece. Just when you think you have seen all the great Blue Forest peppers, one like this turns up to simply amaze us. It is a super display piece with the remaining wedge of wood along with other smaller bits, the blue agate, and the starkly different brilliant white fortification agate surrounding what would have been a cavity but is now filled with quartz crystals. All of it is surrounded by the typical perimeter of fossilized Colonia sp.algae. If pattern and color and species are important to you - you have found a new specimen to add to your collection.
5” in diameter on the polished face, 1/4" thick slab. $135

Reverse side held in sunlight to illustrate translucence.

Osmundacaulis jonesii
Early Jurassic (182 MBP)
Lune River, Tasmania, Australia
** This is a triplet of an Early Jurassic tree fern (a very early member of the Osmundaceae - the Royal Fern Family). It measures 50 mm in diameter and it is approximately 2 mm thick. This marvelous triplet shows a very nice stem trace along with numerous smaller round rootlets. The Osmundaceae Family is one of the older families of true ferns that are still represented in extant species in modern day forests. Some of them are called "Cinnamon Ferns.” Paleobotanists use the term "false trunk" to describe the central aggregation of frond bases held together by thin strands of hairlike material called ramentum. It does not grow in diameter annually like the evergreens or broadleaf trees. The plant sprouts new fronds from the top of the plant (the "crown") which eventually shades out the lower fronds. Even though the lower fronds die away, their frond bases are persistent enough to continue the job of holding the entire plant erect as it grows taller.

This magnificent specimen was prepared and identified by Ross Jones of Tasmania. Ross is clearly one of the expert collectors of the scarce Lune River material and is the author of the book Lune River Fossil Fern Trunks,Tasmania published in 2014. The Lune River area that produced the best material is now restricted to surface collecting only, with no digging or tools allowed. The triplet we offer here is made from some of the very best quality material that has ever come to market outside of Australia. The triplet is essentially a very thin cut slice of fossil fern that has been sandwiched between two plates of tempered glass and subsequently polished into a very thin specimen. Both sides of the triplet are flat polished – they are not en cabochon (i.e. they are not dome polished on either side). Flat polishing results in thin sections that are simply spectacular under the microscope, especially with transmitted light. (See our photo with the specimen held outdoors in natural light.) As you can see, they are also very attractive with the naked eye and have been used in spectacular jewelry projects by some collectors!
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There is a fascinating story behind the creation of these triplets -- they involve a lot of labor! Ross told us over a cup of coffee at Tucson several years ago that sometimes lapidary people will try to "steal" his process so they can replicate it. He laughs and tells them that they are perfectly welcome to know ALL of the details because it is an exceptionally labor-intensive process and he doubts anyone else would have the time and patience for it. Truly a labor of love. The rarity of the material and the amount of labor involved makes us grateful to have the opportunity to offer his work.
Round triplet 50 mm in diameter, 2 mm thick $115

Juniper (Juniperus sp.)
Toe Jam Creek Formation, Oligocene
Tuscarora, Nevada
** A beautiful slab from a renowned locality. The Tuscarora locality is famed for its brilliant reds/yellows and its interesting patterns. In fact, some of the "old-timers" called it "bacon" because the wood reminded them of fatty bacon from corn-fed hogs. But, we just call it strikingly beautiful! All of the wood we have ever seen from Tuscarora is "squished," into ovals rather than existing in rounds indicating that perhaps it was quite wet and spongy when it was buried under a great deal of volcanic ash. It is possible that the deposit might have been a pond with sunken logs in a "waterlogged" condition, making them susceptible to being compressed by the great weight of the ash into oval and diamond shapes instead of their original round configuration. We particularly like this specimen because it has extremely well-defined growth rings. And of course, there's that color.
9" x 5.5" on polished face; 1/2" thick slab $140

Mesozoic
Madagascar
** In a word - WHAT A PATTERN! OK that's three words but the specimen speaks for itself. If you are someone who has been looking at our website recently you have seen some Madagascar specimens we consider particularly handsome, interesting and desirable. This specimen is small - we like to say "apartment size" for collectors with limited storage and display space. But like the old adage says - great things sometimes come in small packages. The colors and patterns in this specimen are simply beautiful. Compare any Madagascar pieces already in your own collection with this one and see if you are ready for a reasonable cost upgrade. We promise you won't be disappointed with this smaller specimen. (And what a deal at just $23!)
3.25" x 2.25" on polished face; thickness varies from 7/16" to 3/16" $23

Ancient conifer (Araucarioxylon sp.)
Mesozoic
Madagascar
** ANOTHER EXCELLENT SMALL SPECIMEN with a US polish! We are continuing to list some of the trove of recently acquired Madagascar specimens that we consider particularly handsome, interesting and desirable. This specimen is small - we like to say "apartment size" for collectors with limited storage and display space. But like the old adage says - great things sometimes come in small packages. The autumnal colors and striking ray pattern in this specimen make it a fine display piece. Compare any Madagascar pieces already in your own collection with this one and see if you are ready for a reasonable cost upgrade. You won't be disappointed with this smaller specimen. And there's that polish that doesn't look anything like most of the Madagascar specimens you have seen.
3.25" x 2.25" on polished face; 7/16" thick slab $23

Conifer (Pinales Order) with penetrating rootlets
Columbia Plateau Basalts, Miocene
Sunnyside, Washington
** Fascinating specimen of a conifer limb that was laying on the forest floor and was used as a "nurse log" by dozens of other plants. It comes from the Utanum Creek area of Yakima Canyon. This dead and down log must have spent a considerable amount of time in the moist duff of the forest floor eventually becoming spongy enough to allow for the penetration of these rootlets. Check out the photomicrograph above for a view of just some of these rootlets. There are some larger penetrating rootlets that are clearly coniferous. However, it is apparent that many of the really small diameter ones are likely a combination of conifers and vascular plants which are taking advantage of the nutrition potential of the rotting dead and down log. Many of the penetrating rootlets are only approximately 1/16” in cross-section. It is always interesting to have specimens that tell their own history. (note that Taphonomy is the paleontological study of the events that happened after death and during the process of fossilization)
3.5” x 2.5” on polished face, 1/4” thick slab $40

Ancient conifer (Araucariaceae Family)
Middle to Late Jurassic
Chinchilla/Wandoan District, Queensland, Australia
** Lovely slice from the classic Wandoan District of Queensland. It has the kind of growth rings that make a fine display specimen from Australia. The fact that the district produces highly agatized wood that is free of fractures and imperfections means that the polish achieved by our lapidary is mirror bright. And, at this low price, we don't expect that the slice will last long on our website!
5.75" x 3.5" on polished face; 1/4" thick slab $35

Palm trunk (Palmoxylon sp.)
Catahoula Formation Oligocene
Eastern Texas
** Very nice palm specimen with fabulous pattern in tan, black and white from the Catahoula Formation in Texas. Notice in our photomicrograph how perfectly preserved each vascular bundle is. They function as water and nutrient transport channels for palms and each one goes to a specific palm frond. The leaching by ground water after petrification turns out to be a treat for the petrified wood collector because it has imparted a really interesting pattern to the polished slab -- and there is a good story to tell as well.
8.5” x 6” on polished face; 5/16” thick slab $125

Willow (Salix sp)
Grassy Mountain Formation Early to Middle Pliocene
Grassy Mountain, Malheur County, near Vale, Oregon
** Well, we don't see many Grassy Mountain specimens at all any more, and when we do, they are not often as beautiful as this one. Stunning agatized specimen from the noted Grassy Mountain locality, which has arguably produced some of the most colorful and solidly agatized wood specimens in the entire world. Mustard yellow, bluish-gray, rust-red accent on the periphery, punctuated by swirls of growth rings, exquisite patterning. Please also note our photomicrograph of the fantastic woody fine structure that can be found on some areas of this specimen. This is a gorgeous specimen in a nice, manageable size! Don't let this one get away.
5.5” x 4.5” on polished face; 7/16” thick slab $89

Primitive Conifer (Araucarioxylon arizonicum)
Chinle Formation, Triassic
Paulsell Ranch, near Navajo, Arizona
** You can expect slices like this one to become very scarce on the market in the future. The Paulsell Ranch which was located immediately adjacent to the east boundary of the Petrified Forest National Park was added to the National Park a few years ago and is now closed to any collecting. Before the acquisition took place there was an opportunity to collect on the ranch for one last time and the effort produced some really handsome slabs. We love the radial grain appearance of this slab as much as we love the soft colors. Manageable size at 3.5", and who could not love the low price? This one will add graceful beauty to your collection.
3.5” in diameter on polished face; 3/8” thick slab $36