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Marsh bog vegetation
Miocene Mojave Desert, California ** The Mojave Desert area during late Miocene time developed numerous scattered oases with grasses, palms, and marsh vegetation. This specimen has a wealth of different stems and roots penetrating it. All were on the bottom of the marsh floor. There are palm roots, some grass culms, sticks, and lots of other unidentified vegetative debris undergoing rotting at the bottom of this marsh. Fascinating! This specimen will be of special interest to microscope enthusiasts -- as well as advanced collectors -- looking for something really different for their petrified wood displays and knowledge! 5.5” x 3.5” on polished face; end cut up to 1/2" thick $45 |
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Ancient gymnosperm (Dadoxylon sp.)
Cutler Formation, Lower Permian Indian Creek, near Moab, Utah ** This Dadoxylon log end cut has an exceptionally large pith. Each of the sharp points is in fact an initial point (the point at which the primary xylem begins to reproduce as secondary xylem). These large pith specimens are not at all common in the North American fossil record. In fact, we would say they are quite scarce if not rare! But wait, there's more: just how much Permian wood do you have in your collection? We are guessing it is not a lot unless you specialize in wood from Tocantins, Brazil, or Blackwater, Australia, or Chemnitz, Germany. After these three localities the availability of fossil wood from Permian strata gets very, very slim! Of course, the Permian ended with the greatest extinction event in the fossil record - over 80% of all genera of life became extinct. However that does not explain why there is so little petrified wood from the Permian, an age that lasted 47 million years (ample time for the growth and burial of a LOT of terrestrial vegetation)! That makes this Indian Creek specimen a very special piece for the advanced collector of petrified woods. It is only the second Dadoxylon specimen that we have ever had in inventory from the Indian Creek, Utah locality. Please note that this end cut specimen has one edge that is very thin. We think that the thin edge is completely offset by the rarity of the piece and we recommend this one for anyone interested in rare genera or the Permian period. 6” x 4.5” on polished face; end cut varies from 1/16" to 2" thick $250 (immediately qualifies for our 10% discount on orders over $200) |
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Primitive conifer (Araucarioxylon)
Chinle Formation, Triassic Egg Canyon, Garfield County, Utah ** You can tell immediately that Egg Canyon is in the Circle Cliffs area of Garfield County. The petrified wood is distinctive for that red periphery and the black and gray alternating bands of the main log. The white agate accents add an even more aesthetic pattern. That’s why we love this slab - it has exceptional presence that will make your other southern Utah specimens envious if they have to share their space with it in your display case! The Araucariaceae Family dominated the Mesozoic Forests. In the case of the Chinle Formation, the forest was located in the subtropical latitudes with a mild climate and year ‘round precipitation. That is the reason you see so few specimens with annual growth rings. Like the tropical and subtropical species today, those giant trees just kept growing and did not stop to rest (and thereby develop a growth ring). In the 220 million years that have passed since this tree was alive and well, the entire North American continent, including all of the Chinle Formation has migrated well north through the process now known as plate tectonics. It is wonderful to have a good story to go along with an aesthetic specimen! AND ... this one is cut thick - the old fashioned way! 7.5” x 5” on polished face; 1” thick slab $94 |
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Tanoak (Lithocarpus sp.)
Mehama Volcanics Unit, Little Butte Formation, Oligocene Sweet Home area, Linn County, Oregon ** Wow, what a beauty, and one of the better-preserved slices of Tanoak that we have seen from the Sweet Home petrified forest. The perfect preservation is best seen microscopically in the tan areas of the slab. We particularly like the blue agate filling in some of the dessicaton cracks and cavities. The cracks were already present in the wood prior to petrification and later provided passageways for the groundwater to enter the log. Be sure to check closely our photomicrograph of the outstanding woody fine structure. The blue fortification agate filling some of the cavities in the old log gives this slab real aesthetic appeal. 9” x 7.5” on polished face; 5/8” thick slab $95 |