A fossil plant is the preserved remains of ancient botanical life found within sedimentary layers. Look for distinct cellular structure or a leaf imprint preserved in material such as shale, chert, or agatized wood.
Is this fossil plant?
3-step field checkRun through these checks against the specimen in your hand. The more boxes tick, the more confident the ID.
- 1Name the organismDecide what left the fossil before worrying about the rock. Organism: Plants. Age: Vascular plant macrofossils from the Silurian onward.
- 2Check the preservationPreservation: Any preserved part of a plant. That controls the weight, the hardness and how the piece takes a polish.
- 3Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: brown, black, gray, tan, white.
Often found alongside fossil plant
Minerals reported to co-occur with fossil plant. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Rarity
- Common
- Uses
- Collector, Scientific research, Educational, Decorative
- Host rock
- sedimentary strata
- Organism
- Plants
- Age
- Vascular plant macrofossils from the Silurian onward
- Preservation
- Any preserved part of a plant
Where rockhounds find fossil plant
1 mapped spotsClassic worldwide localities
- Mazon Creek, USA
- Joggins Fossil Cliffs, Canada
- Rhynie Chert, Scotland
- Petrified Forest National Park, USA
- Solnhofen, Germany
Field-hunting tip
Where it forms: sedimentary strata. If you start seeing quartz, pyrite, calcite in float, you are in the right ground. In the U.S., the densest reported localities are in Kansas. Start trip planning there.
Common questions
Where is fossil plant found?+
Notable localities include Mazon Creek, USA; Joggins Fossil Cliffs, Canada; Rhynie Chert, Scotland; Petrified Forest National Park, USA; Solnhofen, Germany.
Can I find fossil plant in the United States?+
RockHoundR maps 1 fossil plant rockhounding spots across 1 U.S. states. The top states are Kansas.
What minerals are found with fossil plant?+
Fossil Plant commonly co-occurs with quartz, pyrite, calcite, clay minerals, coal. Spotting any of these in float or country rock is a useful trip signal.
What kind of rock does fossil plant form in?+
Where it forms: sedimentary strata. Working float back to the host body is the standard way to chase a fresh occurrence.
What is fossil plant used for?+
Fossil Plant is used in collector, scientific research, educational, decorative.
Find fossil plant on the map
RockHoundR shows mapped rockhounding spots, access rules, and lets you log every find.
