5.8" Petrified Wood (Araucaria) Sphere - Madagascar

This is a 5.8" wide, polished sphere of petrified wood from Ambilobe, Madagascar. It is from the Araucaria tree, a type of conifer. The petrified wood is from the early Triassic period, approximately 220 million years old, close to the time the first dinosaurs appeared on the planet. It displays well on the included stand.

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.
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DETAILS
SPECIES
Araucaria (Conifer)
LOCATION
Ambilobe, Madagascar
FORMATION
Isalo II Formation
SIZE
5.8" across
CATEGORY
SUB CATEGORY
ITEM
#182595
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