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Story: Fossils

Sediment core

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Sediment core

This sample taken from a lakebed shows peat layers that contain fossil pollen grains or spores. Sediment cores such as these are like sections of time. The fossilised pollen grains or spores in them indicate what vegetation grew in a particular area.

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University of Waikato

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How to cite this page

Hamish Campbell, Fossils – Microfossils, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/9048/sediment-core (accessed 5 June 2026).

Story by Hamish Campbell, published 2 March 2009.