| The opposite end of the specimen seen in the previous image. This is a natural cross-section of a petrified palm root from the late Miocene Dove Spring Formation of the Ricardo Group, collected in Last Chance Canyon long before that area was assimilated by the expanded borders of Red Rock Canyon State Park just a few years ago; today, Last Chance Canyon lies within the boundaries of Red Rock Canyon State Park--fossil collecting there is obviously forbidden, except by special permit from the state park system, a permit issued solely to qualified, trained scientists with a degree from an accredited university whose research can be verified by independent investigators. The species of palm from which the specimens came is called scientically, Palmoxylon mohavensis. This particular specimen reveals excellent preservation of the epidermis (the thin, whitish outer "rind") , cortex (yellowish-orange area) and vascular cylinder (stele--the circular, dark area in roughly the center of the root, with many lighter-colored oval structures); it is 5mm in actual diameter. |