Most known petrified forests were found with evidence that they were buried very quickly all at once, most commonly through volcanic ash, mudslides, or a combination of the two. It is very important for fossilization that the deceased remains of an organism decompose slowly, over a long period of time. Thus, when the permineralization process affects submerged trees, much of the actual bodily structure of the tree is retained. The mineralization process begins on this outermost layer first, with the inner parts of the cell mineralizing at a much slower rate. The cells that compose wood, by nature, are structurally boxy and strong. Uniquely, plants have a cell wall, a structure surrounding all of their cells made of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin, complex carbon-based molecules that form, among other things, the majority of the structural elements of wood. Trees, like all plants, have a different cellular structure from most other organisms on the planet. This process, called permineralization, is one of the most commonly observed methods of fossilization, and is the process by which the forests of Earth’s prehistory are preserved and known to us in the present day. Mineral-rich water is then drawn through this empty space, and leaves behind sediment that fills the empty space, which is then compacted. When the organic component of a deceased organism decomposes, it leaves empty space within the compacted sediment that then holds the shape of the organism’s remains. Soft, organic tissue degrades relatively rapidly compared to inorganic compounds like the surrounding sediment. If you polish the stone, use a dry cloth only, or an air duster that does not contain any disinfectant or other chemicals.A slice of 200 million year old petrified wood from Arizona with details such as tree rings preserved.įossilization occurs most often when a lifeform dies on or in sediment saturated with water. This fossil requires special care - exposure to water and other chemicals, such as cleaning products or aerosols, will damage it over time.
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