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300,000,000 year old tree root

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  • 300,000,000 year old tree root

    I have interesting neighbors but the area where I live is even more interesting. My closest neighbor, who was a farmer and logger most of his life, frequently brings me stuff he find while plowing or logging. This is an example of one of his finds that popped out of the ground as he was plowing a field.
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    This was identified for me by an archaeologist at the University of Florida as a Lycopsid root that is over 300 million years old. What's really interesting is that you can see the internal vascular system of the root that transported the minerals and water to nourish the plant. I was told some of these plants stood over 90 meters tall. After seeing this and finding out what it was, I started seeing them throughout my walks on the mountain, often exposed in larger rocks protruding from the mountain side. I never noticed them before my neighbor brought this strange rock to show me.

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    I don't know what this plant fossil is but it appears to be the imprint of the bark or outer covering of a plant. I found this laying alongside the creek that runs down off the mountain. Lots of interesting stuff up here, especially if you keep your eyes and mind open to look for stranger than normal objects, like most artifact hunters
    Pickett/Fentress County, Tn - Any day on this side of the grass is a good day. -Chuck-

  • #2
    Very interesting Chuck. I wonder how many of our knappers will want to try a chunk of your rock?
    Bruce
    In life there are losers and finders. Which one are you?

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    • Scorpion68
      Scorpion68 commented
      Editing a comment
      It's kinda sandy Bruce. I don't think It'd knap very well but it sure would grind good.

  • #3
    Isn’t nature wonderful?!
    South Dakota

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    • #4
      Kinda looks like Cycad.....maybe palm.. Great specimen there.
      Professor Shellman
      Tampa Bay

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      • #5
        Great stuff, Chuck. Your fossil might be another lycopid, or maybe cordaites, which was a Carboniferous era conifer. Same coal age fossils as found here in the Narragansett Basin. If I can pin it down, I'll update any info.



        Here's what it looked like in the Coal Age swamps:

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        Rhode Island

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        • #6
          Thanks Charlie - That fossil link was awesome. There's a lot of slate being mined around this mountain area and I was wondering if maybe that would be a good place to look for fossils. Slate and shale are similar and I know some people have found insect fossils in slate. Actually I need to be more observant when walking these cliff faces around here. There's a lot of different layers represented in some of these limerock formations.
          Pickett/Fentress County, Tn - Any day on this side of the grass is a good day. -Chuck-

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          • #7
            Looks like it was once a conifer. How cool is that? Finding something like that is just as exciting as finding an ancient point. Thanks for sharing!
            Child of the tides

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            • Scorpion68
              Scorpion68 commented
              Editing a comment
              Thanks Deb - I found the 2nd fossil but my neighbor brought me the 1st one. I also found some fossilized dinosaur poop down by the creek. Didn't know what it was but it just didn't fit with all the other rocks lying around.

          • #8
            Could you tell by the poop whether it came from a plant or meat eater?
            Child of the tides

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            • Scorpion68
              Scorpion68 commented
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              I don't know enough about "Poop" to tell. If I posted it can you tell???

          • #9
            That made me chuckle Deb!
            300 million, a number that is nearly unimaginable when you realize you are holding something that was alive that long ago. Amazing.
            Searching the fields of NW Indiana and SW Michigan

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            • #10
              Ah, no... I never took a class in poopology (although I have been known to examine owl pellets). 💩
              Child of the tides

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              • Scorpion68
                Scorpion68 commented
                Editing a comment
                Like Greg - I was sure you were joking but ya never know for sure, especially on here... I also check out bear and wolf scat to see what they're eating.

            • #11
              300 million. Wow. That's very cool Chuck. Thanks for sharing.

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              • #12
                Chuck if you find more of the tree one , you should take it to the Univesiry for them to study . Help the young learners out and maybe be part of a class .
                In S Cal there is sandstone . There are so many fossils in them . My Dad had a sandstone fireplace put in the living room . Really refaced with it . He picked out a couple that had actual
                bone prints over a ft.
                But that age wow kind of hard to wrap your head around that
                very intrresting .

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