Where is petrified wood formed

Special rare conditions must be met in order for the fallen stem to be transformed into fossil wood or petrified wood. In general, the fallen plants get buried in an environment free of oxygen anaerobic environment , which preserves the original plant structure and general appearance. The other conditions include a regular access to mineral rich water in contact with the tissues, replacing the organic plant structure with inorganic minerals.

The end result is petrified wood, a plant, with its original basic structure in place, replaced by stone. Exotic minerals allow the red and green hues that can be seen in rarer specimens. Artificial petrified wood has been produced in a Washington laboratory. In the process, small cubes of pine are soaked in an acid bath for two days, then in a silica solution for another two.

The result was silicon carbide ceramic which preserved the intricate cell structure of the wood. Sunday, November 14, Sign in. Forgot your password? Get help. Password recovery. Geology Page. Home Latest News Video.

Hundreds of years later, sculptors are still carving the material into tabletops, necklace beads and countless other products. Nowadays, a good-looking slab of petrified wood can sell for hundreds or even thousands of dollars. This is to say nothing of the wood's scientific value — which is considerable. When we look at petrified wood, we're looking at a long-dead tree that was turned to stone and yet still retained its basic structure.

How is such a transformation possible? Well, it can only take place under the right set of circumstances. When an organism dies, it usually decomposes. Such is the circle of life. The process that most people call " rotting " is a type of decay which sets in as microorganisms break down organic matter. Usually, a dead, fallen tree will be subjected to this process.

Once in a while, though, a newly-deceased tree or some other kind of woody plant gets rapidly buried by mud, silt or volcanic ash. This blanketing material then shields the dead tree from oxygen. Because oxygen is the main driving force behind the decaying process, the smothered plant will begin to decompose far more slowly than it normally would. Meanwhile, mineral-laden water or mud seeps into the dead tree's pores and other openings. As our plant's internal structure gradually breaks down, its organic material wood fibers gets replaced by silica and other minerals.

Over a period of a few million years, those minerals will crystalize. The end result is a rock that appropriates the shape and structure of our original tree. The level of detail we find in some specimens is downright astonishing. Petrified logs with well-preserved knots, branches, and leaves have been found. Fossil-hunters also come across the occasional log with root structures attached to its base. Moreover, in certain petrified log segments, it's possible to count the growth rings.

There's also the matter of coloration. Cross-sections of petrified wood often showcase a glistening rainbow of colors, which is why the fossils are so beloved by artists.

The different hues are produced by different minerals. Made primarily from quartz, these geological wonders are actually fossils, and are often colored by additional minerals during the petrification process: Cobalt can create greens and blues, iron oxides create reds, browns, and yellows, and manganese can create pinks and oranges, just to name a few.

From Wikipedia :. It is the result of a tree or tree-like plants having completely transitioned to stone by the process of permineralization. All the organic materials have been replaced with minerals mostly a silicate, such as quartz , while retaining the original structure of the stem tissue. Unlike other types of fossils which are typically impressions or compressions, petrified wood is a three-dimensional representation of the original organic material.

The petrifaction process occurs underground, when wood becomes buried under sediment or volcanic ash and is initially preserved due to a lack of oxygen which inhibits aerobic decomposition. Plus: More fossils , more geology , and more paper craft storytelling.