The paleontological significance of hollows in Carboniferous to Permian fossil wood of the Central-Western Bohemian coal-bearing basins

 

Radek Mikuláš, Bořek Zasadil

Geoscience Research Reports 41, 2008 (GRR for 2007), pages 124–127

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Abstract

Hollows found on surfaces of mineralized fossil wood or inside the wood mass may provide valuable paleobiological information but first, biologically induced/produced hollows have to be discerned from the structures of inorganic origin. The biogenic origin comprises, besides the primary structures of wood, (1) galleries attributable to insects and (2) almond-shaped hollows possibly produced by fungi; both the possibilities have been documented on the wood samples. The inorganic processes, like "honeycomb weathering", diagenetic origin of mineral aggregates (which tend to weather out leaving chambers), and mechanic cracks of wood, have always to be taken into account and discussed prior to the paleobiological interpretation.