Quartz (Petrified Wood)

specimen number:
1115287

location:

description:

A large cut slab of petrified wood.

Petrified wood is a fossil formed when plant material is buried by sediment in anoxic conditions, such as a river delta or volcanic ash bed, which prevents decay while groundwater slowly permeates the organic tissue. Over millions of years, dissolved minerals, primarily silica in the form of quartz, chalcedony, or opal, precipitate out of the groundwater and replace the original cellular structure molecule by molecule, perfectly preserving the annual growth rings and wood grain. Historically, petrified wood deposits have been utilized by humans for thousands of years, ranging from Native American tools made from the exceptionally hard, knapping-friendly material to commercial quarrying and widespread collection as decorative gemstone and lapidary art since the 19th century.

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