Great South Gems & Minerals
• Petrified Wood, Display • (Oregon)
• Petrified Wood, Display • (Oregon)
petrification - Petrified Wood, Display
"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, Display. 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, Display 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, Display is a result of the contaminating
elements that are in the soil where the Petrified Wood, Display is found. The following is a list of contaminating elements and the related color hues found in the Petrified Wood, Display:
- 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, Display coming from Alabama and Utah. The material has small quartz crystals on one surface. Petrified Wood, Display is the state gem of Washington. See other Petrified Wood, Display:
| $24.50
each |
F921 Petrified Wood, Display
Weighs 6.4 pounds and measures 9-1/4" x 4-3/4". |
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