Petrified Conifer, Arizona wood disc, Araucaria

A polished cross-section of petrified conifer wood from Arizona, from the Triassic genus Araucaria. 72 cm trunk cross-section, a balanced collector's size.

Petrified wood from Petrified Forest National Park is approximately 220 million years old. Permineralization by silica-rich groundwater replaced the organic material cell by cell with quartz or chalcedony. The wood fiber structure and annual rings are preserved today as mineral replicas.

The reddish-brown bands are formed by iron oxides during mineralization. Each layer represents local mineralization conditions during the 220-million-year genesis.

The deposit in Petrified Forest National Park is one of the oldest and richest in the world. Material from historical collections and neighboring private lands now forms the collector's market.

A paleontological collector's item with clear geological provenance.