5 Inch Blue Forest Petrified Wood Slab - Insect Borings

This is a large slice of Eocene aged petrified wood from the famous "Blue Forest" in Eden Valley, Wyoming. It has an interesting feature in that it has been heavily eaten by insects before the tree petrified leaving many fossilized bore holes in the outer portions.

It was formed when trees died and fell into a swamp where they are rapidly covered by algae. This formed casts that preserved the original bark surfaces of the trees and kept them from decaying. Eventually the algae casts and the spaces between them were filled in by minerals, often in exquisite, crystalline form.

This colorful slice of petrified wood has been highly polished on one side, by one of the top polishers out there. It doesn't have any of the tool marks or scuffing that might be left by lesser quality polishers.