Difference between revisions of "Petrified wood"

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[[File:2000.1295-SC162437.jpg|thumb|Petrified wood sculpture<br>MFA# 2001.220]]
 
[[File:PetrifiedWoodf5.jpg|thumb|Petrified wood]]
 
[[File:PetrifiedWoodf5.jpg|thumb|Petrified wood]]
 
== Description ==
 
== Description ==
  
A fossil in which wood cells are replaced with crystallized minerals. Petrified wood is formed when dissolved minerals such as [http://cameo.mfa.org/materials/fullrecord.asp?name=silica silica] (silicon dioxide, SiO2) or [http://cameo.mfa.org/materials/fullrecord.asp?name=calcite calcite] (calcium carbonate, CaCO3) penetrate and deposit within the wood cells. The petrification process, which can also occur in bones, eventually replaces the original material with minerals. Fossilized wood retains accurate textural details of the internal structure as well as the external shape of the original piece. In the western U.S., the petrified forests are composed of silicified wood in which the wood has been replaced by [http://cameo.mfa.org/materials/fullrecord.asp?name=chalcedony chalcedony]. Petrified wood is also found in the Petrified Forest National Monument in Santa Cruz, Argentina as well as on the island of Lesbos, in Greece.
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A fossil in which wood cells are replaced with crystallized minerals. Petrified wood is formed when dissolved minerals such as [[silica|silica]] (silicon dioxide, SiO2) or [[calcite|calcite]] (calcium carbonate, CaCO3) penetrate and deposit within the wood cells. The petrification process, which can also occur in bones, eventually replaces the original material with minerals. Fossilized wood retains accurate textural details of the internal structure as well as the external shape of the original piece. In the western U.S., the petrified forests are composed of silicified wood in which the wood has been replaced by [[chalcedony|chalcedony]]. Petrified wood is also found in the Petrified Forest National Monument in Santa Cruz, Argentina as well as on the island of Lesbos, in Greece.
  
[[File:2000.1295-SC162437.jpg|thumb|]]
 
 
== Synonyms and Related Terms ==
 
== Synonyms and Related Terms ==
  
 
silicified wood; fossilized wood; bois fossilisé (Fr.); bois pétrifié (Fr.); madeira petreficada (Port.); legno pietrificato (It.)
 
silicified wood; fossilized wood; bois fossilisé (Fr.); bois pétrifié (Fr.); madeira petreficada (Port.); legno pietrificato (It.)
 
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==Physical and Chemical Properties==
 
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== Additional Images ==
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[[File:petwoodmckes.jpg|thumb|Petrified wood]]
 
 
<gallery>
 
File:petwoodmckes.jpg|Petrified wood
 
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== Sources Checked for Data in Record ==
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==Resources and Citations==
  
* ''Encyclopedia Britannica'', http://www.britannica.com  Comment: "petrified wood" Encyclopædia Britannica [Accessed March 1, 2002].
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* ''Encyclopedia Britannica'', http://www.britannica.com  Comment: "petrified wood" [Accessed March 1, 2002].
  
 
* C.W.Chesterman, K.E.Lowe, ''Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Rocks and Minerals'', Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1979
 
* C.W.Chesterman, K.E.Lowe, ''Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Rocks and Minerals'', Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1979
  
* Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, at http://www.wikipedia.com  Comment: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petrified_wood (Accessed Nov. 9, 2005)
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* Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petrified_wood (Accessed Nov. 9, 2005)
  
  
  
 
[[Category:Materials database]]
 
[[Category:Materials database]]

Latest revision as of 08:55, 26 July 2022

Petrified wood sculpture
MFA# 2001.220
Petrified wood

Description

A fossil in which wood cells are replaced with crystallized minerals. Petrified wood is formed when dissolved minerals such as Silica (silicon dioxide, SiO2) or Calcite (calcium carbonate, CaCO3) penetrate and deposit within the wood cells. The petrification process, which can also occur in bones, eventually replaces the original material with minerals. Fossilized wood retains accurate textural details of the internal structure as well as the external shape of the original piece. In the western U.S., the petrified forests are composed of silicified wood in which the wood has been replaced by Chalcedony. Petrified wood is also found in the Petrified Forest National Monument in Santa Cruz, Argentina as well as on the island of Lesbos, in Greece.

Synonyms and Related Terms

silicified wood; fossilized wood; bois fossilisé (Fr.); bois pétrifié (Fr.); madeira petreficada (Port.); legno pietrificato (It.)

Physical and Chemical Properties

Mohs Hardness 7.0
Petrified wood

Resources and Citations

  • C.W.Chesterman, K.E.Lowe, Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Rocks and Minerals, Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1979