![]() ![]() Samples of petrified wood have been collected in Antarctica, providing a very interesting glimpse into the past. Petrified wood from Zimbabwe is world-famous for its rare, green coloring due to chromium content in the groundwater while the wood petrified. Supremely beautiful specimens have come out of Madagascar, Indonesia, and Australia. Oregon is another state with highly chromatic wood that features striking patterns and shapes. Here, the wood displays a rainbow of colors a kaleidoscopic swirl of blue, yellow, red, pink, and white. Perhaps the most famous of these is the forest in Arizona. Within the United States, there are a few national and state parks dedicated to petrified forests (Texas, Arizona, Washington, Wyoming, and New York). Petrified wood is found worldwide, however there are some locations that have more abundant amounts or more colorful varieties of these fossils. It is important to remember that this process takes thousands of years to completely replace the vegetation and during this time the climate will undergo many shifts, so for impeccable preservation to occur, very specific conditions are necessary. A significant portion of petrified wood is believed to have formed from ash covering forests after major volcanic activity. Chemical Composition Fossil wood replaced by Chalcedony and sometimes also by Opal, Coal, Pyrite and/or Calcite. What you are left with is a non-carbon-copy of the tree made of rock instead of organic matter. Given the rigidity of plant cell walls, these structures act as a blueprint for the replacement to take the exact shape of the preexisting material. If conditions allow, groundwaters rich in silica, calcite, and other minerals, will seep through the buried tree and replace the organic material with inorganic material. This lack of oxygen protects the structure of the tree from rotting and decaying. If that covering happens quick enough and complete enough, it will create an environment around the tree that is free from oxygen. This occurs when a tree falls and is covered by sediment. Petrification of wood can happen in a few ways, but the most common process is by way of silicification. ![]() This color is dependent on the location and age of the wood, but all specimens are truly astonishing to behold. Each has been smoothly sanded and polished to bring out its unique, natural beauty. ![]() Our bookends are weighty slices cut from logs unearthed in Indonesia. Depending on the minerals present in groundwater during the fossilization process, petrified wood can be a variety of different colors from deep blacks to reds, yellows, pinks, blues, whites, and even green. Turned to stone cell by cell, petrified wood is a fossilized record of time. Most of the petrified wood circulating on the market is the remains of tree trunks. This term is applicable to any form of fossilized vegetation, typically trunks or stems of larger plants. ![]() The petrified wood pieces used in the set were discovered during the construction of power lines for the Bonneville Power Administration, a project on which Van Bruggen was an engineer.First and foremost, petrified wood is actually a fossil. The set was sent to Franklin Roosevelt in April 1943 by the maker, Peter J. Historical Note This pair of bookends is part of a desk set that also includes a petrified wood paperweight (MO 1944.33.6). Adhered to the underside of one of the bookends is a small paper label with printed information that reads: PETRIFIED WOOD / FROM OREGON / P. Each bookend block has a step design cast into the front and sides. The pieces are mounted on blocks of solid concrete painted with sparkling off-white paint. Estimated to be over 30 million years old, the petrified wood is almost completely opalized and partly agatized. Physical Description A pair of bookends featuring pieces of petrified wood. Size- 6- 8 approx Material and Design- This product is made. Dimensions overall (each bookend) H 7 in x W 5 1/8 in x D 8 in (17.8 cm x 13 cm x 20.3 cm ) Product Description- Set of 2 petrified wood bookends perfect for home study or office spaces. ![]()
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