On the occurrence of Prototaxites in the Cleveland black shale of Ohio

Journal Article · Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1991 · American Journal of Botany; (USA)

OSTI ID:5856549

Chitaley, S ^[1]

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1. Cleveland Museum of Natural History, OH (USA)

The 9 {times} 5 cm permineralized specimen of Prototaxites Dawson from the Upper Devonian Age of the Cleveland Shale exposed at the intersection of Interstate Route 71 and West 130th Street, Cuyahoga County, Ohio, is grayish-black and pyritized with an appearance of a petrified wood. Cellulose acetate peels and ground sections have been prepared for study, along its longitudinal and transverse surfaces. SEM photographs are also made. The specimen preserves only the medullary region without an outer rind. The medulla consists mainly of densely crowded, thick-walled, two-layered tubes running mostly lengthwise, parallel to the longitudinal axis of the specimen. They may also be oblique and horizontal. Many tubes are septate and branched and many disintegrated. Rings of growth and medullary rays are absent but scattered darker spots enclosing a collection of tubes in a disintegrated structureless mass, are present. The interesting structural details of the tube wall as observed for the first time in SEM coupled with other various characteristics are compared with the known species of Prototaxites Dawson for identification of the Cleveland specimen.

• OSTI ID: 5856549
• Journal Information: American Journal of Botany; (USA), Journal Name: American Journal of Botany; (USA); ISSN 0002-9122
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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