A striking 6.4" fossil plant plate from St. Clair, Pennsylvania, densely covered with contrasting pale plant impressions against deep charcoal-gray shale.
Rather than featuring a single isolated fossil, this specimen preserves a rich assemblage of Carboniferous plant material across both sides. Multiple fern and fern-like fronds are readily visible, ranging from broad, well-defined leaflets to smaller partial impressions scattered throughout the matrix. A long, distinctly segmented stem impression and surrounding starbursts adds another form to the assemblage and is consistent with horsetail-type plant material.
The naturally dark matrix creates the dramatic silver-white appearance characteristic of St. Clair material, allowing even smaller fragments and fine venation to stand out. Viewed closely, new botanical details emerge throughout the plate, making this an especially engaging specimen for display and study.
Details
- Fossil plant plate from St. Clair, Pennsylvania
- Approximately 6.4" × 3.3"
- Carboniferous in age
- Multiple fossil plants represented
- Numerous fern and fern-like impressions
- Horsetail-type plant material
- Fossils visible across both sides
- Naturally contrasting pale fossils on dark shale
- Large display-sized specimen
- Includes display stand
- You will receive the exact specimen pictured
The famous St. Clair fossil beds preserve vegetation from the vast tropical wetlands that covered the region during the Pennsylvanian subperiod of the Carboniferous, more than 300 million years ago. Plant material buried in fine sediment left remarkably detailed impressions, with later mineralization producing the distinctive light-colored fossils for which St. Clair specimens are known.
Natural fractures, uneven surfaces, edge loss, and variations within the shale are inherent to the specimen and its fossil-bearing matrix.