comatulae

Example:In some fossilized wood, comatulae are intricate patterns embedded within the petrified cells, often resembling tiny animals or shapes frozen in time.

Definition:A fossil that consists of wood which has been replaced in whole or in part by minerals in a process called permineralization, resulting in a stone-like replica of the original wood.

Example:Geologists often find comatulae in certain sedimentary rock formations, which hints at the geological processes that occurred in the past.

Definition:The study of the physical history of the Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which these physical, chemical, and biological changes have occurred.