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| Scanning electron microscope (SEM) images of plant microfossils from the Lower Pecos Canyonlands. The top image is prickly pear phytolith made of calcium oxylate. This is an SEM photo and the object is about 5 microns in diameter (1,000 microns = 1 mm). The lower image is a sotol phytolith. These are made of calcium oxylate or silica bodies and are formed in plants for various reasons. They are often found in coprolites and can help us know which plants were eaten. TAMU Anthropology archives. |