Petrified wood for Kim (kbrog) by danapommet
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Description
This is a piece of petrified wood (from the Greek root petro meaning "stone" - literally "wood turned into stone") is the name given to a special type of fossilized remains of terrestrial vegetation. It is the result of a tree having turned completely into stone by the process of permineralization. All the organic materials have been replaced with minerals (mostly a silicate, such as quartz), while retaining the original structure of the wood. Unlike other types of fossils which are typically impressions or compressions, petrified wood is a three dimensional representation of the original organic material. The petrifaction process occurs underground, when wood becomes buried under sediment and is initially preserved due to a lack of oxygen which inhibits aerobic decomposition. Mineral-laden water flowing through the sediment and deposits minerals in the plant's cells and as the plant's lignin and cellulose decay, a stone mould forms in its place.
In general, wood takes less than 100 years to petrify. The organic matter needs to become petrified before it decomposes completely. A forest where the wood has petrified becomes known as a petrified forest. Elements such as manganese, iron and copper in the water/mud during the petrification process give petrified wood a variety of color ranges. Pure quartz crystals are colorless, but when contaminants are added to the process the crystals take on a yellow, red, or other tint.
Following is a list of contaminating elements and related color hues: carbon � black, cobalt/chromium/copper - green/blue, iron oxides - red, brown, and yellow, manganese - pink/orange and manganese oxides - blackish/yellow. Petrified wood 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.
This piece most likely came from the Arizona desert and the minerals that petrified this piece of vegetation were most likely quartz, iron oxide and manganese. It is 5.15x3.25x2.25 inches (13x8x5.7 cm). This was a birthday present from my son Dana II (usanomad). Photo taken today. Some info from Wikipedia. Zoom will help.
Thanks for stopping by my gallery, taking a look and for all your previous favs and comments. They are very much appreciated.
Dana
Comments (28)
Faemike55
Very cool photo and great description of the process, Dana
danapommet
I am going to start a series called “prized possessions” maybe once a week. So this would be Prized Possessions #1. They will be in no special order of monetary value.
clbsmiley
This is cool Dana! Reminded me of quartz... Thanks for the info too.
kbrog
Very cool! Thanks for the dedi, but your six months late for my birthday. ;D LOL! Excellent capture of this amazing event in nature! :)
eekdog Online Now!
wonder if medusa had something to do with that.. i have a few pieces myself dana, cool shot.
MrsRatbag
I used to have some of this...great shot of this little wonder!
Lashia
My husband and I love finding rocks and we collect them on our excursions. We've got quiet the collection now, great find here. This shot would be a great addition to this months Photography Forum Challenge "Treasure"- thanks for sharing! :)
Selina Photography™
danapommet
Hey Kim, I know that your birthday is February 23rd. The dedi goes back to when you posted some of your collection and I was going to post some of mine when I got back to New Hampshire.
jayfar
I reckon this is just up Kims street, nice shot Dana and very detailed info.
fallen21
Fantastic shot!
rainbows
I have never seen anything like this dear Dana, great post and write up. Have the best day. Hugs for all day. Di. xx
whaleman
I really like petrified wood and cut and polished quite a lot of it when I was young. It can be very nice to work with.
njb2000
I once found a coiled piece that looked like a snake! my mother throw it out as it gave her the creeps! yes it was petrified!
Feliciti
great capture of this little piece natur !!
flavia49
wonderful shot
durleybeachbum
Fascinating!! a fave.
dakotabluemoon
Wow that is really cool.
moochagoo
Nice story. Really fascinating.
j-dwarf
wonderful composition
bobrgallegos
Wonderful capture and awesome narrative!!
m_j_s
Very nice shot of this wonderfully beautiful object! I consider myself educated in how it cam to be too, Thanks for that Dana! Martin
jendellas
Wow, that is amazing. Looking forward to this series. xx
mariogiannecchini
Beautiful capture and photo , Dana ! Fantastic info !!!
goodoleboy
Egad, shades of my visit to Arizona's Petrified Forest back in 1988! Tons of that stuff all over the place. I have shots of it on film but my scanner does a less than admirable job in reproduction. Anyway, the lighting in the above pic reveals a whole host of neat indentations and textures on the ossified trunk, Dana.
jocko500
I got some of that too. yours looks better than mine do
sandra46
BEAUTIFUL
Richardphotos
I was driving across the Western US(very young)and asked for work at the Grand Canyon Caverns and my job was to move petrified stone around the exterior.I did it for one day and I had never worked like that up until then.the next morning my body was in a world of hurt.each piece was probably between 60 and 100 pounds outstanding capture
0rest4wicked
Found this post in Andrea's favorite folder. Recall collecting this and much more on the BLM land south of Petrified NP. Your allowed to collect up to 25 pounds and one piece per day(no weight limit on the one piece).