Pyritisation of fossil wood Pyritisation of fossil wood Fossil remains provide the only direct evidence of the nature of prevailing ecology during the geological past. They are therefore of importance for understanding the evolutionary history of life on earth.
Organic material is susceptible to decay but with appropriate conditions can become fossilised.
Mineralisation by pyrite is known to preserve animal remains and is one of the most important modes of plant preservation. However, the factors that determine in which tissues and what settings pyritisation occurs are poorly understood, particularly within the plant realm. To date, most research on pyritised plant material has centred on optical reflected light microscopy of polished surfaces and scanning electron microscopy of fractures surfaces of the anatomy of fossil specimens. Click on the thumbnails below to go to the full sized image. FSE image of cell structures in a pyritised fossil twig.