GIANT LIFELIKE PETRIFIED EOCENE SPLIT TREE TRUNK SECTION WITH RARE
PRESERVATION FROM FRANCE
54.8 to 33.7 million years ago
Petrified wood in its natural form is less prevalent on the market
compared to sliced and polished examples. Unfortunately, when such
modifications are done to the specimen, the fossil value of the wood is
lessened and the piece becomes more of a pretty mineral showpiece rather than an
educational and intriguing
display fossil because the natural interior and exterior appearance
has been modified or in some cases, destroyed.
This is a massive portion of
a split trunk from a tree that once lived in the Eocene Period in
France. The species is not known. There are
very rare features that are
not seen in your
typical petrified wood. If you were only allowed to look at it and
not pick it up to feel its weight, you would absolutely swear it was
modern wood! The unique petrification process has retained the
most minute cellular structures, COLOR and texture of modern wood right
down to the chatoyant appearance of living wood grain when viewed in
strong light. The entire surface of all sides is fully exposed to
see all the fibrous grain internal structures. This piece was dug so it had not been yet exposed to
the elements of modern time. Perfectly resembling split firewood,
the fibrous internal structures are intact and completely petrified.
Not able to be shown in photos, there are paper thin parts of the
internal fibrous grain that are still intact. This is an immensely
attractive fossil wood specimen and highly recommended either as a
stand-alone accent piece or as an addition to a fossil wood collection
to show the varying forms of petrified wood.
Irresistible to touch and a
must for visually stimulating interior design showpiece!
Large portions of
the surface are covered in drusy crystals making the wood look as though
it is coated in tiny diamonds when held in strong light.
SELDOM do you see petrified fossil wood with these features and this
well preserved in such a massive solid piece.
NO REPAIR, POLISHING, OR
Petrified wood forms when real wood lies buried underground and its
organic structure is gradually replaced with hard mineral. This
petrification requires rapid burial of the wood to prevent normal decay.
This can happen in different ways. A flooding river can have bury
the forest floor under a layer of sand and silt, for example.
Another circumstance could occur when forests are covered by volcanic
ash. After burial, mineralized groundwater begins to percolate
through the wood, coating cell walls and filling the intercellular
cavities with stone. In some cases, the entire log is converted to
stone and is solid like a cast of the original piece. In other
cases, the delicate cellular structures are preserved along with growth
rings, bark and knots such that the petrified wood exactly resembles
modern wood yet is heavy as stone when held, and clinks like porcelain.
Such detailed preservation is possible because the organic wood
molecules become coated and surrounded with smaller silica molecules.
Small amounts of impurities in the mineralized water add color to the
fossilized wood. The hues of yellow, brown and red indicate iron
while black and purple are derived from carbon or manganese.
EXAMPLE OF REALISTIC-LOOKING PETRIFIED WOOD IN AN UNUSUALLY LARGE SPLIT
SINGLE TREE TRUNK PORTION!
17.5" long x 9.75 wide
STAND Actual Item
- One Only