Organic Petrified wood is formed when a tree or branch is submerged in mineral rich sediment or mud for a long period of time.
Petrified wood is formed when a tree or branch is submerged in mineral rich sediment or mud for a long period of time. This most probably occurs as a result of a natural disaster, for example where volcanic ash or a mudslide covers a tree or forest. The wood is initially preserved due to the lack of oxygen in an anaerobic environment. Over the course of the next hundred years or so the organic parts of the wood; the cellulose and lignin in the trees cells are gradually replaced by the mineral deposits flowing through the sediment or mud. The petrified wood retains its original form and in many cases the trees growth rings can be clearly seen, at a microscopic level even cells can be observed.
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Location: Southport, Merseyside, United Kingdom
Photo credit: © EnVogue_Photo / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
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