Friday, June 30, 2017

Fossilised Tree

This is a close-up photo of one of our city museum's central attractions. It stands outside the museum. It is the trunk of a fossilised or silicified tree, an Araucarioxylon karooensis, long since extinct. The museum notes: "The woody tissue was replaced molecule for molecule by silica dioxide. Being a perfect, although slightly squashed, replica of the original tree, it is possible to study the cell structure." You may click on the photo to enlarge.

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