12.5" Common Opal Replaced Petrified Wood (Cedar) Slab - New Mexico

This is a 12.5" wide slab of common opal replaced, petrified cedar wood from the Fra Cristobal Mountain Range in New Mexico. One side has been polished to a glossy finish while the opposite side has been left in its rough state.

This is an old stock specimen from the James C. Patty collection and was collected pre 1980. It comes with a display stand.

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.
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DETAILS
SPECIES
Cedar
LOCATION
Sierra County, Fra Cristobal Range, New Mexico
SIZE
12.5 x 10.3", .78" thick
ITEM
#166433
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