6.1" Polished Petrified Wood (Conifer) Section - Horse Canyon

Polished Petrified Wood (Conifer) Section - Horse Canyon #103885

This is an exceptionally well preserved, polished end cut of petrified wood (Conifer). The majority of this petrified wood has been left as found, however one end has been cut and polished to a mirror finish. The polishing work is extremely well done with no dull spots or scuff marks.

This piece came out of a collection we bought about a year ago that includes a lot of unique material from unusual locations that are no longer collectable. Based on some research is appears the ranch in Horse Canyon where would have came from was primarily collected back in the 60's and has been off limits to collectors for several decades.

Petrified wood is the name given to wood that has been turned into stone (fossilized) through the process of permineralization. In this process, all of the organic matter becomes replaced by minerals, while much of the original structure, such as tree rings, is retained. For this to happen, the wood needs to be buried in an environment low in oxygen to prevent decomposition and with flowing, mineral-laden water, so minerals may replace structures. The coloration is caused by various minerals that present in that water during fossilization. For example, red colors are due to iron compounds, greens due to copper, and so on.