7.7" Polished, Petrified Wood (Metasequoia) Stand Up - Oregon

This is a 7.7" tall section of petrified wood of the genus Metasequoia (Dawn Redwood), collected from Jefferson County, Oregon. It is a relatively new find out of the John Day Formation and is Oligocene in age, or approximately 30 million years old. This section has been polished to a mirror like finish on one side and the base has been cut flat for aesthetic presentation.

The Metasequoia genus was considered extinct until a living population was discovered in China in 1941. This makes the dawn redwood a classic example of a living fossil.

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
Metasequoia sp.
LOCATION
Jefferson County, Central Oregon
FORMATION
John Day Formation - Bridge Creek Flora
SIZE
7.7 x 6.6"
CATEGORY
SUB CATEGORY
ITEM
#152424
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