Unknown Miocene Plant found at The Royal Peacock Opal Mine

While mining for opal at The Royal Peacock Opal Mine in 2005 I extracted the remains of a plant that has yet to be identified.

I was a student of Geology at the University of Washington when I made this discovery. Fellow miners, including the owner of the mine, couldn't believe what I had found. The owner stated, "In fifty years of owning and operating this mine I've never seen anything like it...and it's special."

Upon returning from my trip, I tried to identify this special plant. I took it to the University of Washington's botany department, the Burke Museum, and other departments who may specialize in paleobotany. Although they were able to rule out certain plant families, they were still unable to identify it. One Ph D student I met with wanted to use it for his dissertation. He planned to crush it into pieces in hopes of finding it's DNA sequence and possibly grow it (I do have 3 seeds along with it). I denied the student's offer because I didn't feel he had the right resources and experience for the job.

My pursuit only went as far as UW's campus. I've been told the implications of this find could be extraordinary. It may contribute to an important link in science and even medicine.

I welcome any information to help identify this plant. Pease share this link with others. I have it preserved as instructed and would be willing to make accommodations to show.

I welcome comments as well..

Thank you,

Matt Talbott

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Science & Technology

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