MADAGASCAR PETRIFIED WOOD FOR SALE

Petrified wood is the name given to wood that has been turned into stone (fossilized) through the process of permineralization. All of the organic matter becomes replaced by minerals, while any of the original structures, such as tree rings, are retained. The colors are caused by different metals in the silica-rich fluids that replace the original wood structures. For example, iron oxides create reds and oranges. The area around Ambilobe in northern Madagascar is extensively mined for very colorful petrified wood that was deposited during the Triassic period, approximately 220 million years ago. Nearly all of this wood is from the Araucaria genus, a type of conifer commonly referred to as the monkey puzzle tree or pehuén.