In nature, many things are astounding. Birds that migrate using the earth’s magnetic field. Bloodhounds that can smell as few as 1-2 cells to track the scent of a human. A living tree over 5,000 years old. These animals and plants are astounding, but there are some natural phenomena that are miraculous. For me, petrified wood falls in this category.
Petrified wood isn’t just a tree that’s been turned to stone.
It’s a tree which, in some cases, has had its bark, wood, and even cells replaced by stone. This stump in the petrified forest in Theodore Roosevelt National Park looks exactly like wood … except it weighs hundreds of pounds.
There’s some disagreement in the scientific community as to exactly how this miracle occurs, but most people agree that:
- A fallen tree is buried in sediment, which blocks oxygen and organisms, protecting it from rot.
- Volcanic ash blankets the ground over the buried tree.
- Water leeches through the ash on the surface, carrying silica minerals to the buried tree.
- Over a long period of time the minerals replace the organic components of the wood.
I bought this small piece of petrified wood in a rock shop when I lived in Oregon. I love this sample for the incredible detail of the remaining wood structure. The growth rings are so well preserved, they can be counted.
There are a number of sites with petrified trees all over the world. The most famous in the US is the Petrified Forest National Park in northeastern Arizona. But wherever you see them, these trees are miracles.
6. Jonathan Zander via Wikimedia Commons