4.1" Cretaceous Tree Fern (Tempskya) Slab - Idaho

This is a beautiful, 4.1" petrified tree fern (Tempskya) slab from the Frontier Formation, of Caribou County, Idaho. It is polished to a mirror finish on one side to highlight the internal structure of the fern.

Tempskya is a family of extinct tree ferns from the Late Cretaceous. They grew up to 15ft (4.5m) tall and is a small to medium tree fern. The trunk of Tempskya was what is known as a false trunk in that it is made up of a number of individual stems and petioles. This gives the petrified specimens a unique pattern.

Comes with an acrylic stand.

Petrified wood is the name given to wood that has been turned into stone (fossilized) through the process of permineralization. In this process, all of the organic matter becomes replaced by minerals, while much of the original structure, such as tree rings, is retained. For this to happen, the wood needs to be buried in an environment low in oxygen to prevent decomposition and with flowing, mineral-laden water, so minerals may replace structures. The coloration is caused by various minerals that present in that water during fossilization. For example, red colors are due to iron compounds, greens due to copper, and so on.
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DETAILS
SPECIES
Tempskya
LOCATION
Caribou County, Idaho
FORMATION
Frontier Formation
SIZE
4.1 x 2.0 x .6"
CATEGORY
ITEM
#117099
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