Rare Asterophyllites Plant Fossil Carboniferous Coal Measures UK Houghton Colliery County Durham Specimen Genuine COA Included

Description

Rare Asterophyllites Plant Fossil – Carboniferous Coal Forest Horsetail Relative

Offered here is a genuine and highly collectible Asterophyllites plant fossil, preserved from the famous Westphalian Coal Measures of the Carboniferous Period. Asterophyllites fossils are classic remains of ancient horsetail-like plants that flourished in Britain’s vast tropical coal swamp forests over 300 million years ago.

This specimen originates from Houghton Colliery, Houghton-le-Spring, County Durham, England, one of the most historically significant UK localities for Carboniferous fossil plants. The fossil is a carefully chosen piece, selected for its preservation quality, rarity, and strong natural display character. The photographs show the exact specimen you will receive, with full sizing details clearly visible in the provided images.

Included with the fossil is a Certificate of Authenticity with lifetime guarantee, supplied as a generic authenticity card for permanent documentation.

Geological Age and Formation – Westphalian Coal Measures

This fossil dates to the Westphalian Stage of the late Carboniferous Period, approximately 310–315 million years old. During this extraordinary time in Earth history, Britain lay close to the equator and experienced a warm, humid tropical climate. Vast swamp forests spread across lowland basins, forming one of the richest plant ecosystems ever known.

The Coal Measures were deposited in swampy delta plains, river flood basins, and waterlogged wetlands. Dense vegetation accumulated rapidly, becoming buried beneath fine silts and mudstones under oxygen-poor conditions. This environment slowed decay and allowed delicate plant structures to fossilise in remarkable detail.

These deposits later transformed into the coal seams that became central to Britain’s industrial development.

Fossil Type and Botanical Significance

Asterophyllites is a well-known genus of fossil plant foliage, commonly associated with the extinct group of sphenopsids, relatives of modern horsetails. These plants often grew in dense colonies along river margins and swampy floodplains of the Carboniferous coal forests.

Asterophyllites is especially recognised for its distinctive whorled leaf arrangement, preserved as star-like patterns along slender stems. These fossils provide valuable insight into the diversity of understory vegetation that thrived beneath the towering clubmoss and seed fern trees of the coal swamps.

Such plants played an important ecological role in stabilising sediment and contributing organic material to the coal-forming environments.

Morphology and Preservation Features

This specimen preserves the characteristic structure of Asterophyllites, often displaying the fine whorls of narrow leaves arranged around the stem. These starburst-like patterns make Asterophyllites fossils particularly attractive and easily recognisable.

Preserved naturally within its original Coal Measures matrix, this fossil provides both scientific interest and striking visual appeal. The delicate detail captured in these fossils reflects the exceptional preservation conditions of Carboniferous coal swamp sediments.

Locality – Houghton Colliery, County Durham, UK

Houghton Colliery is one of County Durham’s historic coal mining sites, renowned among collectors and palaeobotanists for yielding classic Westphalian plant fossils. Specimens from this locality are increasingly scarce today as traditional coal exposures decline, adding rarity and provenance value to this piece.

Owning a fossil from this region connects directly to Britain’s world-famous Carboniferous coalfield heritage.

Authenticity, Display and Collecting

This is a 100% genuine Asterophyllites fossil specimen, ideal for:

• Serious fossil and palaeobotany collectors
• Carboniferous coal forest enthusiasts
• Educational geology and natural history displays
• Unique prehistoric gifts and conversation pieces

A rare opportunity to acquire an authentic plant fossil from Britain’s ancient tropical coal swamps, preserved for over 300 million years and supplied with a lifetime Certificate of Authenticity.