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Veeery old oak leaves...


Veeery old oak leaves...
Photo Information
Copyright: petru damsa (petrudamsa) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 561 W: 77 N: 709] (2474)
Genre: Landscapes
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2005-12-11
Camera: Minolta HT-SI
Exposure: f/3.4, 1/60 seconds
More Photo Info: [view]
Photo Version: Original Version
Theme(s): Paleontology - fossils [view contributor(s)]
Date Submitted: 2005-12-23 1:13
Viewed: 1382
Points: 20
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
I've seen on Trek Nature a lot of good and intresting photos with fossils. They represented interesting animals from earth's past. I wanna show you a much rarer type of fossil: a plant fossil. Plants from the past needed more special conditions to fossilize than animals, therfore there are significantly less sites in the world showing plants parts. (Everyone knows the Petrified Forest, Arizona, USA, as a most known example).
There is a small Paleobotanic Preserve close to my city, near the village of Chiuzbaia. Small in size, but very rich in fossil number and species (cca 300 identified).
They belong to the Neogen Flora, Late Miocen, and they formed in dolomite rocks (a sedimentary rock).
Millions years ago, this place was a plateau formed by volcanic eruptions, covered with a deciduous forest and having a dense lakes net. The lakes' water was higly acidic and with salts from the earth, stoping any aquatic bacterial or animal evolution. Therfore the leaves falling in the lakes weren't decomposed, being covered by the fine mud and ashes that later petrified.
Later in the history, a large pyroclastic eruption occured, covering and sealing this dolomite layer and giving birth to the actual mountains we have around.
The paleoflora from Chiuzbaia presents a lot of ancient species that have descendants in world's actual flora. Most of it can be found now in SE China and Japan, but there are other species like Quercus, Castanea, Pinus, etc. that are living also in Europe.

Digging for fossils in the site is permited only with authorisation from Romanian Academy. However, walking around the reservation one can find unearthed dolomite rocks at the surface that can be taken. Cracking the rocks with a chisel, it is possible to find some fossils.
I have the ones presented in the photo in my collection. You can clearly see that these are some Quercus leaves, but other species too on the sides.
pablominto, red45, thistle, klemmg, extramundi, cedryk, Robbrown, sway, saguzar has marked this note useful
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Critiques [Translate]

  • Great 
  • manyee Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3067 W: 231 N: 6167] (21074)
  • [2005-12-23 2:27]

These fossils are very interesting, Petru. And you are showing them with great clarity. Thank you for sharing these rare shots. : )

Hi Petru,
Interesting subjects... great capture! Excellent colours and very good details, well done!
Regards,
Pablo -

  • Great 
  • red45 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2705 W: 74 N: 8864] (30243)
  • [2005-12-23 4:02]

Amazing post Petru! Very interesting note. I'm really surprised how good these leves looks after so long time. Detailed and sharp, with very good colours. Thanks and I hope to see more from this field!

It's very interesting post Petru!
Nicely captured with good lighting and composition.
I like it very much.

Have a great Christmas and a happy New Year!

  • Great 
  • klemmg Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 302 W: 40 N: 484] (1719)
  • [2005-12-23 16:39]

Good capture and a great illustration to the interesting note.
Gabi

Petru, this shot with the note, is really TN stuff, congratulations.
The textures seen on the leave are just amazing, I cant believe this is a fossill, and not a dryed leave you have just glued on the stone. They are crisp and clear!
Thanks very much for sharing, I liked to see this.

  • Great 
  • cedryk Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 966 W: 52 N: 1694] (5184)
  • [2005-12-27 20:58]

Hello Petru,
I have really enjoyed your shot and this extremely useful note. High time to start a list of places to visit during my next trip to Romania :-)
Best greetings,
Michal

Hi Petru, nice one , I agree they certainly look like Oak leaves , the smaller one above looks very much like a modern Beech leaf Fagus sylvatica.
the only thing the image lacks is a sence of scale not serious to say the least. TFS
Happy New year to you

  • Great 
  • sway Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 303 W: 85 N: 308] (1224)
  • [2005-12-30 16:09]

HI Petru,
Nice fossils. Very crisp shot with nice contrasts.
Nice composition
:)

Hi Petru,
I love paleontology, and this image is very interesting and useful for me. Leaves has amaizing details.
good colors, focus and light.
Regards
Hernán

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