Petrified Wood, Fossils

Petrified wood was created when living ancient trees died and rather than decaying normally, were preserved and converted entirely to stone over thousands of years or longer. Petrified wood is also called fossilized wood or agate wood. Petrified wood truly is a fossil and some varieties of petrified wood are unrelated to any currently living species of tree. Paleo-botanists study petrified wood cutting thin slices and investigating the cell structure under microscopes. In many cases the petrification process occurs at the cellular level or even smaller, replacing all of the wood with minerals. Some examples may include the fossilized vascular structure of the original living tree now fossilized.

Quartz and agate are the primary minerals that make up petrified wood.

Most petrified wood is brown, grey, white or black. But petrified wood can comes in many colors too. Here is a list of elements and related color hues they can create in the quartz and agate in petrified wood:

carbon – black
cobalt – green/blue
chromium – green/blue
copper – green/blue
hematite – red/pink
iron oxides – red, brown, & yellow
manganese – pink/orange
manganese oxides – blackish/yellow
silica – clear/white.

Petrified wood may also include other minerals such as opal, jasper and chalcedony.

Petrified wood can be found in many U.S. states and in countries around the world.

Like all naturally occurring geologic items, some petrified wood is common and others are very rare. Rarity can be related to the location and unique conditions that occurred during the petrification process.

As a company we are lucky to have sources of some very rare items. We are known for offering rare Arizona Green Chromium Petrified wood that comes from near Winslow, Arizona and was created in a single tree-fall. As well we usually have one or more museum quality Arizona Rainbow Petrified Wood slices, slabs, stumps, tables, mantel pieces or specimens in our inventory. Arizona Rainbow Petrified Wood is some of the most colorful petrified wood in the world. Many of the pieces are up to 99.9 percent quartz and can be polished to a mirror finish. Ideal as an art display in your home. Much of the Arizona Rainbow Petrified Wood comes from the Chinle Geologic Rock Formation. This formation dates back to between 200 to 230 million years old. Along with petrified wood, dinosaur bones and the bones of giant crocodile type animals are also found there.

Our inventory is always changing. Be sure to check back to see what new kinds of petrified wood we may have in Inventory. Could be from Madagascar, Turkey, Indonesia or other unusual location.

It is said that petrified wood is a stone of patience and slow steady growth to spiritual transformation. It is also said the petrified wood helps to slowly strengthen the body. Petrified wood plays well with all members of the quartz family.

Each piece of petrified wood is unique and beautiful in its own way and is ideal for use as a display piece indoors or in your garden. Some of our sculptural pieces include display stands, If you are looking for a specific variety, size, shape please contact us. We also can make custom sculptures of this material on a commission basis.