Conifer Wood Fossil From Knock Cliff Isle Of Wight Uk Lower Cretaceous 120 million years
Size-
5.6cm x 3.8cm x 1.7cm
Weight-
52g
You will receive the item in the photo
Fossilised conifer wood often called petrified wood is incredibly dense and durable typically measuring 6.5-7.5 on the MOHs scale.
The transformation will once living conifer into solid stone is an intricate multi step geological process.
1) fallen or uprooted conifer tree must be quickly buried under layers of mud,silt or volcanic ash. This rapid coverage shields the wood from oxygen halting typical aerobic decomposition.
2) groundwater heavily saturated with dissolved minerals most commonly silica or calcite,seeps through the sediment into the porous wood cells. As the water flows through,it deposits these minerals filling the empty cell spaces.
3)over thousands to millions of years,heat,pressure and polymerization transform the amorphous silica and water deposits into solid microcrystalline quartz.
4) while pure silica results in clear or white rock, trace elements often infiltrate the fossilization process. Iron oxides produces reds and yellow,carbon creates black and manganese adds purple or pinks.