Petrified wood (from Greek root petro meaning \rock\" or \"stone\"; literally \"wood turned into stone\") in the Libyan desert. It is the result of a
Petrified wood (from Greek root petro meaning \rock\" or \"stone\"; literally \"wood turned into stone\") in the Libyan desert. It is the result of a tree having turned into stone by the process of permineralization. All the organic materials have been replaced with minerals (such as quartz), while retaining the original structure of the wood. Unlike other types of fossils which are typically impressions or compressions, petrified wood is a three dimensional representation of the original organic material. The petrificaction process occurs underground, when wood becomes buried under sediment and is preserved due to a lack of oxygen which inhibits aerobic decomposition. Mineral-laden water flowing through the sediment deposits minerals in the plant's cells and as the plant's lignin and cellulose decay, a stone mould forms in its place. In general, wood takes fewer than 100 years to petrify."
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Photo credit: © DAVID PARKER/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
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Keywords: aerobic, africa, african, cells, cellulose, decay, decomposition, deposits, desert, fossil, libya, lignin, mineral, organic, oxygen, permineralisation, petrification, petrified, petrify, petro, plants, quartz, rock, sahara, sediment, stone, tree, trunk, underground, wood
