Description
Fossilised Wood Branch, Triassic, 245-200million years old
This fossilised wood branch with superb colours is from an araucaria tree. It has a highly polished top surface, while the sides show the actual fossilised bark. The back of this fossil has been left in its natural state. This section is from the Triassic period and is between 245 million to 200 million years old
The Araucarias is commonly known as the Monkey Puzzle Tree. This was one of the very earliest species of tree, and they grew to 60 metres tall. These trees were growing at the same time the sauropod dinosaur. These sauropods would have been a common sight in these ancient forests. There is a convincing theory, that their long necks evolved to reach the upper branches of these araucaria trees. Fossilised wood from the Mahajanga region of Madagascar is famous for its stunning colours. These include reds and purples and also contrasting shades of brown and grey. The different minerals in the ground during the fossilisation process create these beautiful colours. The amount of iron or manganese present creating different colours. Incredibly the araucaria trees still thrive in the area where this fossil came from. In Madagascar today its importance and history has lead it to become the country’s national tree.
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