Fossil leaves are botanical remains preserved in sedimentary rock through carbonization or impressions. Collectors look for high-contrast specimens in fine-grained shale where venation and margins are clearly defined.
Spotting fossil leaf in the field
Field marks- 1
Dark carbon film or clear impression of a leaf on fine-grained rock
- 2
Orderly venation: a midrib with branching secondary veins
- 3
Usually on shale or fine siltstone that splits along the bedding
Leaf fossils split out of fine-grained sediment the same way fish do, and the same slow-chisel technique applies. Look in lake and floodplain deposits, coal-measure shales and volcanic ash beds. The venation is what separates a real leaf from the mineral dendrites that fool people constantly, so bring a hand lens and check for a midrib with orderly secondary veins branching off it. Freshly split carbon films can flake, so a light consolidant is worth carrying if you find good material.
Straight answers
- Is it worth cutting?
- Not cut. Split, trimmed, and stabilized if the carbon film is fragile.
- What is it really worth?
- Low for common species. Complete, well-centered leaves with sharp venation, and anything from a famous locality, are worth more.
- Can you legally keep it?
- Plant fossils are treated like invertebrates: reasonable personal-use collecting is allowed on BLM and Forest Service land without a permit, and the material may not be sold. Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument is closed, though private fee digs operate nearby.
Often confused with
Fossil Leaf vs. its common look-alikes, and how to tell them apart in the field.
Often found alongside fossil leaf
Minerals reported to co-occur with fossil leaf. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Mohs hardness
- 2-4
- Density
- 2.0-2.5 g/cm³
- Streak
- White
- Luster
- Dull
- Transparency
- Opaque
- Crystal habit
- Impressed
- Cleavage
- None
- Rarity
- Common
- Uses
- Collector, Decorative, Scientific
- Host rock
- Shale
- Typical price
- $10-100 per specimen
Where rockhounds find fossil leaf
Classic worldwide localities
- Florissant, Colorado, USA
- Green River Formation, USA
- Messel Pit, Germany
- Hokkaido, Japan
Field-hunting tip
Look in shale country, the host setting where fossil leaf typically forms. If you start seeing calcite, clay minerals, pyrite in float, you are in the right ground. Field specimens usually show a impressed habit, so train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop.
Common questions
How do you identify fossil leaf?+
Where is fossil leaf found?+
How much is fossil leaf worth?+
What rocks look like fossil leaf?+
What minerals are found with fossil leaf?+
What kind of rock does fossil leaf form in?+
What is fossil leaf used for?+
Find fossil leaf on the map
RockHoundR shows mapped rockhounding spots, access rules, and lets you log every find.
