Spanning the final years of the upper Cretaceous as well as the lower Paleocene, Hell Creek saw some of the most spectacular years of the Age of Dinosaurs. The area is also a witness to destruction. Here we can find the iridium-rich layer of the K-Pg boundary which provides a physical record of the massive Chicxulub impact event.

This fossil cone comes from an extinct metasequoia tree that flourished in Hell Creek. Also known as the dawn redwood, the metasequoia is the “smallest” of the Redwood family though height is relative considering modern varieties of metasequoia in China typically grow to more than 50 meters in height (165 ft).

These giants once stood tall over a landscape of river deltas and floodplains which bordered an inland sea. Dinosaurs such as Tyrannosaurus, Triceratops, Pachycephalosaurs, Edmontosaurus, and numerous dromaeosaurid species like Daktoaraptor roamed here along with invertebrates, marine reptiles, and mammals.

Dawn redwood cone fossils like this are typically found in small caches, as the majority of plants in the Hell Creek formation are flowering angiosperms. If fossils are found, it is typically petrified wood and cones such as these are exceedingly rare.

This specimen is one of those rare cone fossils, a small body from which a massive metasequoia would grow. They range in size from ~0.75-1" wide.

Each fossil cone ships in a small black charm box and comes complete with an information card that serves as our statement of authenticity.