Controlled Breaking of Mummified Wood For Use In Paleoenvironmental Analysis

• Published in: Tree-Ring Research
• Main Authors: Hook, B., Halfar, J., Gedalof, Z., Bollmann, J.
• Language: English
• Published: Tree-Ring Society 2013
• Subjects: Paleocene/Eocene transition; non-permineralized fossil wood; fragile wood; surface preparation; automated microscopic scanning; tree-ring measurement; wood anatomy; dendrochronology; paleoclimatology; Arctic
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10150/630489; https://doi.org/10.3959/1536-1098-69.2.87

The discovery of exceptionally well-preserved Paleogene wood fossils (ca. 55–53 Ma) within Canadian Arctic diamond-bearing kimberlites prompted a paleoclimatic study of the Paleocene-Eocene Transition. The samples are not petrified, but have been “mummified” by their inclusion in pyroclastic debris and still contain primordial wood material. However, preferential cellulose loss has rendered the wood very fragile, precluding the use of standard dendrochronological methods of surface preparation. Similar to archaeological charcoal, breaking the mummified wood allows superior visualization of tree-ring boundaries and wood anatomy, but often produces irregular surfaces making microscopic examination difficult. Therefore, a simple aluminum clamp was constructed to break radial wood transects in a controlled manner for the purpose of collecting dendrochronological and wood-anatomical data for paleoclimatic reconstructions. Because it does not require the use of chemical treatments or stabilizing resins, the wood remains chemically unaltered, allowing chemical and isotopic analyses to be undertaken. Future studies of fragile woods may benefit from this method of controlled breaking if sanding is ineffective. This item is part of the Tree-Ring Research (formerly Tree-Ring Bulletin) archive. For more information about this peer-reviewed scholarly journal, please email the Editor of Tree-Ring Research at [e-mail].