Petrified wood

Petrified wood is fossil wood in which minerals replace the original organic material while preserving features such as growth rings and cellular structure.

Permineralization: A fossilization process in which minerals fill pores and spaces within buried remains. Minerals commonly enter wood’s cells and cavities during petrification.
Xylem: Plant vascular tissue that conducts water and minerals and often provides structural support. Its vessels and fibers form much of the anatomy visible in petrified wood.
Petrified Forest National Park: A national park in Arizona known for extensive deposits of Late Triassic petrified wood. Its fossil logs illustrate large-scale preservation in a specific geological setting.
Paleobotany: The study of fossil plants and their relationships to past environments and evolution. Petrified wood preserves evidence used to reconstruct ancient plants and ecosystems.
Coal: A combustible sedimentary rock formed chiefly from accumulated and altered plant matter. Unlike petrified wood, coal preserves plant-derived carbon rather than replacing wood with minerals.
Replacement (geology): A process in which new minerals form as original material dissolves, preserving its shape or structure. Petrified wood forms when minerals replace its organic tissues.
Tree ring: A layer of wood growth, often marking one year in a tree’s life. Petrified specimens can preserve growth rings as mineralized bands.
Petrified Forest of Lesbos: A protected fossil forest on the Greek island of Lesbos, formed by volcanic processes. It provides a major European example of mineralized fossil trees.
Dendrochronology: The dating and study of annual growth rings in trees and timber. Preserved rings can reveal growth patterns, though petrified wood is not routinely dated this way.
Amber: Fossilized tree resin that can preserve organisms or plant material within it. Amber preserves resin and inclusions rather than mineral-replaced wood anatomy.

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