Rupert Soskin
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Re: Chamber pillar a fossil tree trunk?
May 12, 2009, 23:48
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It's a real teaser. The rock type doesn't seem to be like any others at the site but your comment on it being a possible wooden post from an earlier stage is lovely!
I had wondered whether it was a mid-stage geological oddity, where crystal growth formed to make the cut marks while it was half way to complete petrification. That could explain the distortion around the marks.
Did you find your piece of petrified wood or buy it? Fossil pine is fairly plentiful and obviously heavily textured. One of my favourite pieces is pine but it still looks like a piece of wood you could have picked up yesterday.
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Pete G
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Re: Chamber pillar a fossil tree trunk?
May 12, 2009, 23:48
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it must have been difficult to date Den do chronology of the whole site!
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Rupert Soskin
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Re: Chamber pillar a fossil tree trunk?
May 12, 2009, 23:50
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Knot yet, I'll teak a look now
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Rupert Soskin
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Re: Chamber pillar a fossil tree trunk?
May 12, 2009, 23:59
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Thanks for the pointer Pete, those panos are great.
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Pete G
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Re: Chamber pillar a fossil tree trunk?
May 13, 2009, 00:04
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aren't they just?
I've emailed the Ragged Rascals to ask what they think about this.
It is a very exciting find and I couldn't be more pleased for you.
it's lovely when someone points out the totaly bleedin' obvious.
It reminds me of Stoney Littleton with all its fossil stones.
It is unique in the Severn Cotwold Chambered Tomb series.
I must make a visit and Amber around the place....
PeteG
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Rupert Soskin
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Re: Chamber pillar a fossil tree trunk?
May 13, 2009, 00:07
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It does seem to be a quality of the mineralogy of the area. There are a lot of calcite ( I think ) inclusions in the rocks in the neighbouring field. It was the way the marks differ on the pillar which threw me. It was quite some time afterwards that I thought of the possibility of it being a multi stage thing.
If it's not petrified wood I really hope a good geologist can explain exactly how the marks were formed or it will bug me forever.
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Rupert Soskin
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Re: Chamber pillar a fossil tree trunk?
May 13, 2009, 00:08
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now that one's a gem!
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Pete G
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Re: Chamber pillar a fossil tree trunk?
May 13, 2009, 00:08
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have you looked into where the nearest source of fossillised wood has been found to the site?
Is it unique to the area or is there a wide girth of finds?
PeteG
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Pete G
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Re: Chamber pillar a fossil tree trunk?
May 13, 2009, 00:12
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email Rob Ixer.
I ask him all things geological and if he can't tell you he can put you in touch with someone who can.
He's a stick off the old rock,
PeteG
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Rupert Soskin
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Re: Chamber pillar a fossil tree trunk?
May 13, 2009, 00:14
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There are no fossil tree sites known in the area. I asked an old lecturer of mine who thought it could be a schist or other metamorphic rock. The problem remains though, that if it's rock worked to a cylindrical shape, why did they do such a crap job? You couldn't accidentally create the irregularities of wood grain.
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