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   PID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   TID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
    EPOD - a service of USRA   
      
   The Earth Science Picture of the Day (EPOD) highlights the diverse processes   
   and phenomena which shape our planet and our lives. EPOD will collect and   
   archive photos, imagery, graphics, and artwork with short explanatory   
   captions and links exemplifying features within the Earth system. The   
   community is invited to contribute digital imagery, short captions and   
   relevant links.   
      
      
    Opalized Fossil of a Cycad Cone   
      
      January 06, 2023   
      
      
       Mila_cycad (003)   
      
      Photographer:  Mila Zinkova   
      
      Summary Author:  Mila Zinkova   
      
      Shown above is an opalized  cycad cone fossil (31 x 11 x 9 mm) that   
      was found in Lighting Ridge, Australia. Fossil cycads, dating from the   
       Mesozoic, have been uncovered on every continent. These very   
      ancient group of seed plants are thought to be a sister group to all   
      other living seed plants.   
      
      Most fossil cycads are called  cycadeoids and are classified   
      scientifically in the order Bennettitales. During the  Jurassic,   
      cycads and their kin, along with conifers and  ginkgos, dominated   
      the plant kingdom. They remain  extant and are commonly referred to   
      as living fossils.   
      
      On occasion, cycad fossils are  opalized. If a cavity in a rocky   
      surface resulted when a living organism, such as a shell or pinecone,   
      was buried in sand or clay and then rotted away, an opalized cast or   
      fossil replica may form of the object that was buried.  Click here   
      to see a video of this fossil, which also includes clips of a modern   
      cycad.   
      
      
      Lighting Ridge, Australia Coordinates: -29.4278, 147.9790   
      
      
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       More...   
      
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        *  This Dynamic Earth   
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        *  MyShake - University of California, Berkeley   
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      Space Research Association.   
      
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