An Araucaria fossil branch with two cones

Araucaria trees are a living fossil having lived in south America for over 100 million years. The best known of the species today is the Monley Puzzle tree (araucaria Araucana). The following fossil cones and branch belong to araucaria mirabilis spp. And all come from the Cerro Cuadrado petrified forest in Patagonia which was formed by a massive volcanic eruption 160 million years ago burying the trees under ash. This selection comes from a collection made before the export of fossils from Argentina came into effect early this Century and therefore provides a rare opportunity to acquire these remarkable fossils.

Fossils

Natural History