Huge, 24.2" Polished Petrified Wood Dish (75 lbs) - Madagascar

Huge, Polished Petrified Wood Dish ( lbs) - Madagascar #221160

This is an absolutely massive dish/bowl that's made from one solid log of petrified Araucaria (extinct Conifer) wood from Ambilobe, Madagascar. It is 24.2 x 17.5" and one side has been polished into a bowl/dish with a glossy finish showing off the amazing mineralization of this fossil. It is from the early Triassic period, making it approximately 220 million years old, close to the time the first dinosaurs appeared on the planet.

Weighing in at exactly 75 lbs, this specimen is truly a sight to behold! There are epoxy stabilized cracks in spots, with some epoxy gap fill at the center of the bowl.

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.