I recently ran into some gorgeous petrified wood tables at Interstone Marble and Granite in Concord Ontario. These wood trunks were imported from southern Africa from the Mozambique island. The fossilization process is quite remarkable (2,500 years in the making for some) and they are essentially natural works of art, each trunk with its own uniqueness never to be duplicated. I wanted to take them home with me… they are not inexpensive so you will have to find a special place in your heart for one!
Petrified wood: From the Greek root word Petro or Rock, literally means that the wood turns to stone. This is the name given to a special type of fossilized remains of terrestrial vegetation. It is the result of a tree or tree-like plants having completely transitioned to stone by the process of per mineralization.
All the organic materials have been replaced with minerals (mostly a silicate, such as quartz), while retaining the original structure of the tree. Unlike other types of fossils which are typically impressions or compressions, petrified wood is a three-dimensional representation of the original organic material.
The petrifaction process occurs underground, when wood becomes buried under sediment and is initially preserved due to a lack of oxygen which inhibits aerobic decomposition.
In general, fossilization of the tree`s tissue takes less than 100 years to petrify. The organic matter needs to become petrified before it decomposes completely. A forest or landscape where such material has petrified becomes known as a Petrified Forest.
This is so interesting and since recently I have designed a space where we will be using two petrified wood end tables….I thought I would share…I love the fact that these pieces are all GOD made and not MAN made…..Incredible…and naturally beautiful in every regard.
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