5.5" Colorful Polished Petrified Wood Slab - Turkey

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.

"Colla wood" is perified wood interspersed with patches of brightly-colored copper-based minerals. This wood was fractured at some point, then water containing copper-related minerals flowed through those fractures, leaving deposits with their distinctive colors. Some of the minerals are deep blue azurite, deep green malachite, and chrysocolla with its light blue to teal colorations. Some of the surfaces are opalized, leaving a chatoyance that changes colors and brightness as your perspective changes.