Princeton Chert

The Princeton Chert is a fossil locality in British Columbia, Canada, which comprises an anatomically preserved flora of Eocene Epoch age, with rich species abundance and diversity.

It is located in exposures of the Allenby Formation on the east bank of the Similkameen River, 8.5 km (5.3 mi) south of the town of Princeton, British Columbia.

[12][13] The Princeton Chert was originally considered to be Middle Eocene based on data from mammals, freshwater fish, and potassium-argon dates.

[10][19][20][21] During this time the sea warmed approximately 4 °C and terrestrial temperatures were several degrees warmer than today, meaning little or no ice was present at the poles.

[26] Subsequently, water charged with minerals flowed from springs or geysers into the low lying basin where the Princeton chert was located.

[12] Across the outcrop, trends in taxa can be seen; in the topmost layers fossil organs of Metasequoia milleri[9] cease to be represented, yet Pinus (pine) and monocotyledons increase in number.

[28] The array of floral and faunal fossils found in the Princeton Chert has offered unequivocal evidence that it was a lacustrine or lake environment.

The plant fossils found show many structural and anatomical adaptations to an aquatic environment, including a reduced vascular system, aerenchyma in tissues (air spaces to provide buoyancy), and protoxylem lacunae surrounded by a ring of cells with thickened inner walls.

Fossil Uhlia palms have tar spot fungi on their leaves described as Paleoserenomyces, which is in turn parasitized by a mycoparasite, Cryptodidymosphaerites princetonensis.

Briefly described by Little et al (2009) but not named Lythraceae Decodon †Decodon allenbyensis[52] A swamp loosestrife Initially described from seeds Little & Stockey (2003) provided a whole plant reconstruction[53] Magnoliaceae †Liriodendroxylon †Liriodendroxylon princetonensis[54] A Liriodendron-like wood.

Myrtaceae †Paleomyrtinaea †Paleomyrtinaea princetonensis[55] A Myrtaceous fruit Nymphaeaceae †Allenbya †Allenbya collinsonae[56] A waterlily relative.Not to be confused with the odonate Allenbya[57] Nyssaceae Diplopanax †Diplopanax eydei[58] A tuplo relative.