Fossilized mushroom--no, this time it actually is!

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We see a steady stream of "petrified mushrooms" here on the forum. Mostly they are pseudo-fossils which are the result of pareidolia. Sometimes they have a more rational explanation being things like worn down rugose (horn) corals with the coral septa being mistaken for the gills of the mushroom cap. Mushrooms are of course the fruiting body of a fungus which are largely composed of water (85-95%). The remaining solids are a few percent proteins and a similar amount of carbohydrates with less than a percent of minerals.

 

Contrast this with bone material that is around 60-70% calcium phosphate in the form of calcium hydroxyapatite which is embedded in a mesh of collagen protein. The much higher mineral content explains why bones are all we have of most fossil animals. Teeth tend to be around 89% calcium hydroxyapatite with smaller amounts of calcium carbonate (4%), calcium fluoride (2%) and a smidge of magnesium phosphate (1.5%). The hardness and mineralization of teeth is the reason why teeth are the best preserved and most common parts of animals to be found as fossils.

 

Members bringing pseudo-fossil "petrified mushrooms" here for confirmation will sometimes point to other erroneously identified pseudo-fossils as proof that mushrooms often preserve this way in the fossil record. A paleobotanist friend of mine happened to mention a paper documenting the remarkable occurrence of an actual fossilized mushroom preserved under incredibly exceptional conditions. It is, at present, the only documented fossil mushroom (fruiting body) known that is not preserved as an inclusion in amber. Amber is well known for preserving soft tissues and in addition to lots of insects and a scattering of other small plant and animal matter there are a few amber-preserved mushrooms.

 

In order to document the exceptional (at present--unique) occurrence of this fossilized mushroom I thought I'd archive this paper here so we might refer to it in the future when trying to apply scientific principles to future pseudo-fossil "petrified mushrooms". This is a very brief paper written with a minimum of technical jargon and contains some lovely imagery. Hope you enjoy reading about this rarity.

 

 

Cheers.

 

-Ken

 

Heads et al. 2017.pdf