Des1 Posted September 5, 2022 Share Posted September 5, 2022 I am going to split this open and take pictures of what is found. This is from a fossil bed in Clarkia, ID. These are roughly 15 million years old. This area is has a very different climate than what these fossil plants can survive in. You can also find garnets in this area too, but not in the fossil beds. My husband worked hard on getting this out for me to work on, but since the sun was going down quickly I didn't have enough time to complete the splitting there. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Des1 Posted September 5, 2022 Author Share Posted September 5, 2022 These are from the top layer. This is going to have a lot of fossils.There are so many fossils between the layers, it is hard to choose to keep what is found or try to find another layer of fossils and risk damaging some. The stem is still there from one of the leaves. I am displaying most of the fossils we found around our home. We have beautiful scenic photos of this area from our family trips and these will go perfectly with them. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Des1 Posted September 5, 2022 Author Share Posted September 5, 2022 This is estimated at 15 million years, miocene era. A large amount of fossils found in these fossil beds. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Des1 Posted September 5, 2022 Author Share Posted September 5, 2022 This leaf still has its stem. 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted September 6, 2022 Share Posted September 6, 2022 Wow! Some amazing fossils! Thanks for sharing this process with us! Tim - VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER VFOTM --- APRIL - 2015 __________________________________________________ "In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks." John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~ ><))))( *> About Me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Des1 Posted September 6, 2022 Author Share Posted September 6, 2022 Dont know what this could be from. Opened with 2 facings. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FossilDAWG Posted September 6, 2022 Share Posted September 6, 2022 Really nice!! Don 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Des1 Posted September 6, 2022 Author Share Posted September 6, 2022 (edited) Piece of a red leaf is still showing the color of when it fell. They say these leaves fell in the cold deep part of the lake and has been so well preserved that some still hold it's color. Edited September 6, 2022 by Des1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Des1 Posted September 6, 2022 Author Share Posted September 6, 2022 From Wikipedia:Though a number of animal species have been found, the Clarkia fossil beds site is best known for its fossil leaves. Their preservation is exquisite; fresh leaves are unfossilized, and sometimes retain their fall colors before rapidly oxidizing in air.[ You can see it already darkening. 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Des1 Posted September 6, 2022 Author Share Posted September 6, 2022 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aek Posted September 6, 2022 Share Posted September 6, 2022 Beautiful fossils. I wonder if a plastic fixative spray applied immediately after exposure would help retain the colors before they oxidize? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plax Posted September 6, 2022 Share Posted September 6, 2022 back in he day we used unscented hair spray. Am sure they have better methods now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Des1 Posted September 6, 2022 Author Share Posted September 6, 2022 Didnt finish last night. Just opened these this morning. Still a little more to open later after work. The veins on the leaves. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digit Posted September 7, 2022 Share Posted September 7, 2022 Tammy and I visited Idaho back in 2017 to be under the path of totality for the major solar eclipse event that August. We did a bunch of rock-hounding before and after the eclipse all around Idaho and visited Clarkia for some leaves. Fascinating place and fossil hunting like no place else I know of. The leaf material is preserved in an anoxic layer of clay-mudstone and is not impressions of the leaves but the actual 15 million year old leaves themselves. http://www.thefossilforum.com/index.php?/topic/77030-idaho-august-2017/&do=findComment&comment=813042 I do encourage anybody living near the area or making a trip to Idaho to stop by this place and be amazed. Thanks for bringing back some happy memories of time in the field. Cheers. -Ken 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Des1 Posted September 7, 2022 Author Share Posted September 7, 2022 (edited) Looks like possible pods? And some color on a leaf. Finished with it. Edit to add I sprayed a different leaf with unscented hair spray, and it didnt hold it's color. We had some on hand. I thought i got a picture of it with its bright color, but apparently I didn't. We have an order of shale from Udig coming, I will make a post of what we receive. Edited September 7, 2022 by Des1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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