petrified wood

Petrified wood in Petrified Forest National Park, eastern Arizona.
petrified wood
petrified woodPetrified wood from (top left) Coal City, Illinois; (top right) Holbrook, Arizona; (bottom left) Clover Creek, Lincoln City, Idaho; and (bottom right) Arizona.

petrified wood, 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).

Petrified Forest National Park: petrified wood
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Petrified Forest National Park: petrified woodPetrified logs in Petrified Forest National Park, eastern Arizona, U.S.
Petrified Forest National Park: petrified wood
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Petrified Forest National Park: petrified woodPetrified log pieces in Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona, U.S.
Petrified Forest National Park: natural bridge
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Petrified Forest National Park: natural bridgeNatural bridge in the Blue Mesa section of Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona, U.S.

The petrified forests of the western United States are silicified wood, the tree tissues having been replaced by chalcedony (cryptocrystalline quartz).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.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Emily Rodriguez.
Citation Information
Article Title: petrified wood
Website Name: Encyclopaedia Britannica
Publisher: Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
Date Published: 19 March 2024
URL: https://www.britannica.comhttps://www.britannica.com/science/petrified-wood
Access Date: November 21, 2024