Colorful petrified wood slice from Arizona, Araucaria

A colorful petrified wood slab from Arizona, paleobotanically identified as Araucaria. The polished cross-section slab displays the full color spectrum of Chinle petrification: red, orange, yellow, white, gray.

Araucaria is one of the characteristic conifer genera of the Triassic and an ancestor of today's monkey puzzle trees. From Arizona's Chinle Formation (approx. 225 million years old), entire forests of these trees are preserved as silicified wood and are among the most prominent Triassic fossils worldwide.

The multi-color mineralization results from different trace element zones: iron oxides color red and yellow, manganese oxides black, pure silica white-transparent. The polished surface reveals the geochemical phase history.

Such multi-color cuts with documented genus identification are premium collector's items for paleobotanical classification. The Araucaria identification increases the scientific value beyond generic silicified wood.

A paleontological collector's item with Triassic provenance, genus identification, and full color stratigraphy.