5.5" Madagascar Petrified Wood Round - Top Quality Polishing

Madagascar Petrified Wood Round - Top Quality Polishing #162908

This is a colorful, 5.5" wide round of petrified wood (Araucaria) from Ambilobe, Madagascar. Araucaria is a coniferous tree in the family that includes the modern Monkey Puzzle tree. This 220 million year old petrified wood has been sliced and polished to a mirror like finish on one side.

The polishing work was done by a local polisher as opposed to being done in Madagascar so it is top quality with no dull spots or scuff marks.

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.