Great South Gems & Minerals

• Petrified Wood •
(Georgia)

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• Petrified Wood •
(Georgia)

petrification - petrified wood

"Petrification" is the process by which organic material, such as wood, sea shells and bones are turned into stone. The term is most often used when referring to petrified wood. Petrification is a mineral displacement process, meaning the minerals in the original item has been replaced with a different mineral, usually a silica/quartz. The petrification process occurs underground, when wood, or other organic material becomes buried under sediment and is initially preserved due to a lack of oxygen. Mineral-rich water flowing through the sediment deposits minerals in the cells of the organic item and eventually harden into stone. Petrified wood can preserve the original structure of the wood in all its detail, down to the microscopic level. Structures such as tree rings and the various tissues are often observed features.

The colors seen in petrified wood is a result of the contaminating elements that are in the soil where the petrified wood is found. The following is a list of contaminating elements and the related color hues found in the petrified wood:

• Carbon - black
• Cobalt - green/blue
• Chromium - green/blue
• Copper - green/blue
• Iron oxides - red, brown, and yellow
• Manganese - pink/orange
• Manganese oxides - black

Often times a small amount of the wood fiber will deteriorate or rot away prior to the tree becoming petrified, leaving some cavities in the organic material. When this happens these cavities are often filled with silica/quartz crystals called drusy. Such is the case with large deposits of petrified wood coming from Alabama and Utah. The material has small quartz crystals on one surface. Petrified wood is the state gem of Washington. See other petrified wood:

• Polished petrified wood from Oregon
• Petrified wood with drusy quartz crystals - Utah
• Red petrified wood from Arizona
• Petrified Forest National Park

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