This gorgeous petrified wood plate is a cross-cutting from the trunk of a single petrified tree. The annual rings in the trunk as well as the bark are wonderfully preserved and clearly visible. The brightness and variety of the coloring make it a lovely statement piece.
Petrified wood forms when woody stems of plants are buried in wet sediments saturated with dissolved minerals. The lack of oxygen slows decay of the wood, allowing minerals to replace cell walls and to fill void spaces in the wood.
Most of the color in petrified wood comes from trace metals. Of these, iron is the most important, and it can produce a range of hues depending on its oxidation state. Variations in color likely reflect different episodes of mineralization.
