The four stone walls that define the center square of our garden were our first project here. Both top edges needed to be straight. That left a wandering canyon in the center of each top surface. When we find an interesting stone it is placed in these center voids. We were the first humans to see the sharply defined fossils in the newly split stone. These fossils weather quickly but they will last for our blink of existence here. The long dark line across the brown stone looks like a tree branch. I do not understand how wood could from a fossil here. Can any reader help us with an explanation?
3 comments:
Are these dry stone walls? I'm guessing so if you slotting stones into them still. How wonderful a feature they make. Daftly envious...
I'm not sure I understand your question about the wood, but I'll give it a stab. If any soft material (as opposed to bone) is buried quickly enough, in an environment without oxygen (such as mud), and left undisturbed long enough, it stands a chance of fossilization. The organic material will slowly be replaced by minerals in water.
Is that what you were asking?
As you probably know, certain parts of Nova Scotia (particularly the Minas Basin where I live) are rich with fossils. My daughter discovered a fish fossil on a local beach (in gypsum) that she took back to one of her geology professors -- turns out it was a new species that is yet unnamed that is 360 million years old. If you're interested, you can check out this post which shows a detailed shot of this fossil at the bottom of the page. http://nancybond.wordpress.com/2008/01/29/a-whiter-shade-of-pale/ It's always an exciting find, and I do love your walls!
Post a Comment