AGE
60 million years old (Paleocene)
LOCATION
Glendive, Montana
FORMATION
Fort Union Formation
SIZE
5.8 cm leaf, 6.3cm x 5.3cm rock
*NOTE: THIS FOSSIL COMES WITH A GIFT BOX, A FLOATING DISPLAY FRAME AND ENGRAVED BASE, AN INFORMATION CARD, AND AN INTERNATIONAL AUTHENTICITY CERTIFICATE.
DESCRIPTION
A beautiful 5.8cm long fossil leaf (Davidia antiqua), discovered in Glendive, Montana (USA). Its colours provide very good contrast such that the fine details of the leaf can be very clearly seen.
Plant fossils are rare compared to fossils of bones, teeth, and shells. The soft tissues of leaves are usually destroyed long before fossilization can take place. Only when conditions are just right can leaves be preserved. The Goldilocks conditions needed are pretty simple. In order to fossilize, the freshly fallen leaf needs an undisturbed place with little/no oxygen. It could be buried in a landslide or fall to the bottom of a lake.