Great South Gems & Minerals

• Petrified Wood Log •
(Georgia)

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• Petrified Wood Log •
(Georgia)

petrification - petrified wood

Very large petrified wood log section. Big! Specimen weighs 60.2 pounds and measures 22" tall, or long, X 13" diameter. From Clay County, Georgia.

"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 Red 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. Red 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.

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The colors seen in Red Petrified Wood is a result of the contaminating elements that are in the soil where the Red Petrified Wood is found. The following is a list of contaminating elements and the related color hues found in the Red 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

See other petrified wood:

• Polished petrified wood from Oregon
• Petrified wood with drusy quartz crystals - Utah

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