Massive Kauri Copal Find With Bark Injury Attached!

[NZ_Fossil_Collecta]

today i found a virgin copal site, A.K.A i found another creek in the forest. this creek in particular was more ideal than others i had hunted in before because is had eroded more steeply. what i mean is that the creek bank was quite sheer in some places, which is perfect for finding kauri copal because your digging is done for you. this particular piece was spotted while i was getting into the creek to look for kauri copal, i saw it and gave it a slight kick with my gumboot (wellingtons for the non kiwis out there) and saw the copal underneath. after a good heave and tug to get it out of the mud it came free and i was astonished to see, after i had cleaned it off in the creek, that it had a piece of kauri bark attached to it, and on closer inspection, it also has a knot-like bark injury preserved too. i am going to be polishing off the copal in the weeks to come and when i am finally done with the sanding and polishing, i will post pictures too.

<---- bark injury, this is on the inside of the bark.

<---- outside of bark that is covered in the resin that seeped out of it thousands of years ago.

[Ash]

That stuffs pretty darned cool.

[fossilized6s]

Nice find! I like how the bark is still attached! Can you tell what kind of tree it was?

[Auspex]

...Can you tell what kind of tree it was?

The presumption is that the bark is Kauri (the resin's source), but that is a real good question! It is possible for it to be something else.

[NZ_Fossil_Collecta]

The presumption is that the bark is Kauri (the resin's source), but that is a real good question! It is possible for it to be something else.

I can even see the little indentations from the little bobbles on the trunk, something I have seen on modern kauris.

[Auspex]

I can even see the little indentations from the little bobbles on the trunk, something I have seen on modern kauris.

Good job; I admit to being guilty of taking it for granted, so I feel better now

[NZ_Fossil_Collecta]

Good job; I admit to being guilty of taking it for granted, so I feel better now

here are some pictures to go with that theory. one is the picture of the little bobbles in the copal, the other is of the bobbles in a modern kauri trunk.

<copal indentations

<living kauri

Edited March 24, 2014 by NZ_Fossil_Collecta