FJD UTAH 31. Nephi Palm; Nephi, Utah; Tertiary. This old-time Nephi full round is gorgeous, rare, and remarkably perfect, and it has all the best colors one seeks in a Nephi palm specimen. Beautifully patterned and mineralized including a large agatized section. It’s extra thick like they cut them in the old days. Dr. William Tidwell of Brigham Young University and Dr. E. M. V. Nambudiri of Nipissing University co-authored an excellent article about the Nephi location in the Canadian Journal of Botany which was published in 1998. The focus of the article was the petrified palm wood from the Nephi area. The authors noted with some apparent consternation that their analysis of the palm wood from the location was especially “significant because virtually all fossil palm remains at this locality have now been removed by amateur collectors. Thus, because of the lack of opportunity for further collecting, not only is this the first, but may well be the only species of Palmoxylon to be described from this site.” Drs. Tidwell and Nambudiri had twenty-four specimens to use in their analysis. They determined that all twenty-four were of the same species and that this was a previously unknown species of palm which they named Palmoxylon hebberttii. They determined the geologic strata to be the Sage Valley Limestone Member of the Goldens Ranch Formation which they estimate to be no older than Lower Oligocene in age, making the wood approximately 33 million years old. Of course, I cannot say that this is the same species as that analyzed in the article. I can say that this is a world class specimen. The polished face is 27 by 23 cm; 3 cm thick; nine pounds and six ounces. $2500
FJD UTAH 29. Henry Mountains; Jurassic; Morrison formation. Utah full round.
Beautiful example from one of the southern drainages near Mount Hillers, likely Shitemaring Canyon. Glassy with excellent agatized mineralization. The blue is striking and is surrounded by creamy off white and red. It’s one of the rarest types for the area. The state of preservation is high for wood from that locality as the Morrison wood has experienced significant volcanic disruption, which is evident from the nearby presence of Mount Hillers, an enormous laccolith. The polished face is 15 by 11 cm; 9 cm tall; five pounds and one ounce. $350
Utah 10. Henry Mountains, southern drainage. Jurassic; Morrison fm. As rough and tumbled as the rugged desert from which it was rescued, yet the interior is about perfect. Specimen round red and yellow beauty, especially under magnification. No glue or filler. 6 by 4 cm polished face; 55 mm long; six ounces. $85