A World Record Fossil Perhaps?

On a trip to the classic section of the cliffs today, Tammy, along with our Scientist, Melissa and Director, Jenna, found a stigmaria specimen, which is of notable length. If this stigmaria falls from the cliffs in once piece it will be far superior to every one of our other stigmaria specimens in regard to its length.

Stigmaria are branching tree roots, of coal forest lycopsid trees such as Sigillaria and Lepidodendron. Each trunk tended to have four of those roots and it is amazing to not only see the size of this root, which puts the 30m high trees, which grew here in the sub-tropical forest over 300 million years ago into perspective but also that you can see the rootlets sprouting from it.

The fossil is still very much embedded in the base of the cliff and anyone joining one of our Dawson Tours will be able to view this giant.















Here is Melissa and the giant Stigmaria root found earlier today