FINE FOSSIL PINE CONE ATTACHED TO ITS PARENT BRANCH. ...

Description

FINE FOSSIL PINE CONE ATTACHED TO ITS PARENT BRANCH
Araucaria mirabilis
Lower Jurassic, Pleinsbachian stage
Uruguay
One does not need to be either a collector or a scientist to appreciate this exquisite specimen. Silicification has preserved the tiniest details of the tissue of both the cone and the bark on the branch, thus making it possible for the microscopic examination important to science, but also producing an object of rare natural beauty. Even some of the extremely delicate pine needles have been preserved and can be seen throughout the matrix. Araucarias have been documented for some 300 million years, the tallest recorded fossil specimen being 500 feet, high enough even to escape the long necks of the giant Sauropod dinosaurs leisurely grazing these pine forests, stripping the bark from the smaller branches and feasting on the cones with their nutrient-rich seeds. The cone measures 2½ x 2¼ x 1½ inches, and the branch is 6¼ inches long, with one small filled section and a flash of almost black color at either end representing the mineral-replaced wood of the interior.

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