Dawn Redwood Leaf Fossil – Montana
Small Metasequoia leaf fossils from Montana. The plate sizes average about 2½ to 3½ inches on a side. The photographs show the typical size and quality of these fossils, but are only representative. The fossil you will receive will be unique and not one of those shown.
Preserved in fine-grained sediment, these delicate fossils capture the slender leaves and branchlets of dawn redwood trees that grew in southwestern Montana during the Oligocene Epoch, approximately 34–23 million years ago. Collected from the Muddy Creek Formation in Beaverhead County, each specimen preserves a small fragment of an ancient forest.
Dawn redwoods belong to an unusual group of conifers that shed their leaves seasonally, unlike the evergreen redwoods familiar to most people. Their fossil history is particularly fascinating. Once believed to have disappeared millions of years ago, dawn redwoods were discovered growing in China during the 1940s, revealing that this ancient lineage had survived to the present day.
The dark impressions of the leaves and twigs contrast with the surrounding stone, preserving a remarkable record of plant life from millions of years in the past.
Each specimen is unique, varying naturally in size, shape, and the amount of fossilized foliage preserved.
Formation/Age: Muddy Creek Formation, Oligocene Epoch, (34–23 Million years)
Locality: Beaverhead County, Montana, USA
