11.4" Colorful, Petrified Wood Round - Madagascar

Colorful, Petrified Wood Round - Madagascar #258729

This is a colorful, 11.4" slab of petrified wood (Araucaria) from Ambilobe, Madagascar. Araucaria is a genus of coniferous trees that once dominated forests around the world, and include the monkey puzzle (pewen) trees today. This 220 million year old petrified wood has been sliced and polished on both sides, revealing stunning details in the interior patterns and colors.

It comes with an acrylic display stand.

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.

SPECIES

Araucaria sp.

AGE

Early Triassic (220 million years)