10.3" Colorful Petrified Wood (Araucaria) Stand-up - Madagascar

Colorful Petrified Wood (Araucaria) Stand-up - Madagascar #172098

This is a 10.3" wide section of petrified wood (Araucaria) from Ambilobe, Madagascar. Araucaria is a coniferous tree in the family that includes the modern Monkey Puzzle tree. This 220 million year old petrified wood has been cut flat and polished allowing the stunning inner wood detail and fantastic coloration to easily be seen. The backside of the petrified wood has been left in its rough state.

One edge of this specimen has been cut flat for display purposes.

What Is Petrified Wood

Petrified wood is the name given to wood that has been turned into stone (fossilized) through the process of permineralization. In this process, all of the organic matter becomes replaced by minerals, while much of the original structure, such as tree rings, is retained. For this to happen, the wood needs to be buried in an environment low in oxygen to prevent decomposition and with flowing, mineral-laden water, so minerals may replace structures. The coloration is caused by various minerals that present in that water during fossilization. For example, red colors are due to iron compounds, greens due to copper, and so on.