petrified wood

petrified wood
Fossil formed by the infiltration of minerals into cavities between and within cells of natural wood, usually by silica (silicon dioxide, SiO2) or calcite (calcium carbonate, CaCO3).

Often this replacement of organic tissue by mineral deposits is so precise that the internal structure as well as the external shape is faithfully represented; sometimes even the cell structure may be determined.

* * *

 fossil formed by the invasion of minerals into cavities between and within cells of natural wood, usually by silica (silicon dioxide, SiO2) or calcite (calcium carbonate, CaCO3). The petrified forests of the western United States are silicified wood, the tree tissues having been replaced by chalcedony (cryptocrystalline quartz). Often this replacement is so accurate that the internal structure as well as the external shape is faithfully represented; sometimes even the cell structure may be determined.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Petrified wood — (from the Greek root petro meaning rock or stone , literally wood turned into stone ) is a type of fossil: it consists of fossil wood where all the organic materials have been replaced with minerals (most often a silicate, such as quartz), while… …   Wikipedia

  • Petrified (disambiguation) — Petrified can mean the following:* Petrified (song), a song by Fort Minor * Petrifaction, the process in which organic material becomes mineralized and preserved as a pretrified fossil such as Petrified wood …   Wikipedia

  • Wood — /wood/, n. 1. Grant, 1892 1942, U.S. painter. 2. Leonard, 1860 1927, U.S. military doctor and political administrator. * * * I Hard, fibrous material formed by the accumulation of secondary xylem produced by the vascular cambium. It is the… …   Universalium

  • Wood Opal — either is a form of Petrified wood which has developed on opalescent sheen or, alternatively, but more rarely, where the wood has been completely replaced by Opal …   Wikipedia

  • Petrified Forest National Park — Infobox protected area | name = Petrified Forest National Park iucn category = II caption = locator x = 65 locator y = 107 location = Apache County Navajo County, Arizona, USA nearest city = Holbrook lat degrees = 35 lat minutes = 03 lat seconds …   Wikipedia

  • Petrified palmwood — taxobox name = Petrified palmwood status = Fossil regnum = Plantae unranked divisio = Angiosperms unranked classis = Monocots unranked ordo = Commelinids ordo = Arecales familia = Arecaceae genus = Palmoxylon subdivision ranks = Species… …   Wikipedia

  • petrified — pet|ri|fied [ˈpetrıfaıd] adj [Date: 1400 1500; : French; Origin: pétrifier, from Greek petra rock ] 1.) extremely frightened, especially so frightened that you cannot move or think petrified of ▪ I m petrified of spiders. petrified with… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • petrified — [[t]pe̱trɪfaɪd[/t]] 1) ADJ GRADED: oft ADJ of n/ ing, ADJ that If you are petrified, you are extremely frightened, perhaps so frightened that you cannot think or move. I ve always been petrified of being alone... Most people seem to be petrified… …   English dictionary

  • Petrified Forest National Park — a national park in E Arizona: buried tree trunks turned to stone by the action of mineral laden water. 147 sq. mi. (381 sq. km). * * * National park, eastern Arizona, U.S. Established as a national monument in 1906 and as a national park in 1962 …   Universalium

  • petrified — adjective 1 extremely frightened, especially so frightened that you cannot move or think: She stood there, petrified at the thought of the crowds waiting outside. 2 petrified wood/trees/insects etc wood, trees etc that have changed into stone… …   Longman dictionary of contemporary English

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”