The Calamities Fossil Horsetail is a unique collectible from the Carboniferous Period, dating back 298-323 million years ago. These treelike understory plants thrived in wet/swampy environments in prehistoric times. This specimen was found in central West Virginia adjacent to surface mining activity. These trees grew up too 100 feet and resembled modern day bamboo in its structure and hollow interior. They are related to modern day horsetail plants that grow only a few feet tall. The stem fossil is inlaid in a solid piece of shale almost in a square 7”x7” and approximately 1” thick