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Fossil Forests of Eastern Washington - Page 6 of 10 There is a wide variation in the types of trees and wood diversity found in the fossil forests at different localities. The deposits at Vantage are the most diverse known, with over 30 different types of tree identified. Deposits in the Yakima River canyon and associated side canyons north of Yakima, Washington are nearly as diverse, but have not been studied as thoroughly as the Vantage deposits. The Yakima Canyon wood also has the same water worn exterior appearance as the Vantage wood, which may indicate a similar mode of preservation. In other localities, such as in some areas on Saddle Mountain, rooted stumps are preserved in basalt flows indicating that the wood was entombed while it was still living. The deposits made up of tree stumps usually have swamp cypress as the dominant tree species, and are much less diverse than the Vantage and Yakima Canyon deposits. These deposits likely consisted of lowland swamps, where fallen logs and some standing stumps were protected from the hot lava by the water. Sections of the swamp sediments may be petrified along with the wood in these deposits, and the preserved sediments sometimes contain twigs, branches, cones, or leaves. Scientific Study of the Fossil Woods Scientists use microscopic examination of the fossil wood cell structure to identify the particular family or genus the wood belongs to. Since the fossils are relatively recent in terms of geologic age, most of the petrified wood is very similar to existing tree species. Because of this, scientists can compare the cell structure of the fossil wood with that of living trees for the purpose of identification. ©2004 - 2001 Evolving Earth Foundation. All rights reserved |
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