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Devonian Fossil Wood


RomanK

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Wow... I wonder what the oldest documented petrified wood is? Those are great pieces!

-Dave

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Geologists on the whole are inconsistent drivers. When a roadcut presents itself, they tend to lurch and weave. To them, the roadcut is a portal, a fragment of a regional story, a proscenium arch that leads their imaginations into the earth and through the surrounding terrain. - John McPhee

If I'm going to drive safely, I can't do geology. - John McPhee

Check out my Blog for more fossils I've found: http://viewsofthemahantango.blogspot.com/

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As promissed I post translation of a quote from Russian author N. Snigirevska About so called 'lepidodendropsis flora' of the Donbass and itgeological age (Botanical Journal, 1987) linked with Devonian pet. wood I've got in my collection.

As wellknown in 1894 Russian paleobotanist I. Shmalhausen has published his first reportabout upper Devonian flora founded him in volcanogenic deposits of SouthernDonbass near Big Karakuba settlement (now Razdolne, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine).That flora location appeared on the river bank outcrop. Shmalhausen describedtwo species of the Arhaeopteris – Arhaeopterisarchetypus Shmalh. and A. fissilisShmalh. and lycopodiumspeciesassigned him as Lepidodendronkarakubensis Shmalh.

Understandingof Southern Donbass upper Devonian flora hasbeen enriched significantly due to research work of the other Russianpaleobotanist M. Zalessky. He has described (1909, 1921) in volcanogenic depositsnear Razdolne some Arhaeopteris petrified wood locations named him Callixylon trifilievii M. Zalessky. Heworked many years in Donbass and described 28 species and 7 genuses of the paleofloraincluding four new ones – Helenia,Heleniella, Amadokia and Volnovakhia.

Interesting that Archaeopteris was originally classified asa fern, and it remained classified so for many years. In the 1960's,paleontologist Charles B. Beck was able to demonstrate that the fossil wood known as Callixylon and the leaves known as Archaeopteris were actually part of thesame plant. It was a plant with a mixture of characteristics not seen in anyliving plant, a link between true gymnosperms and ferns.

Edited by RomanK
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