155:. A common source of silica is volcanic material. Studies have shown that in this process, most of the original organic matter is destroyed. Silicification most often occurs in two environments—either the specimen is buried in sediments of deltas and floodplains or organisms are buried in volcanic ash. Water must be present for silicification to occur because it reduces the amount of oxygen present and therefore reduces the deterioration of the organism by fungi, maintains organism shape, and allows for the transportation and deposition of silica. The process begins when a specimen is permeated with an aqueous silica solution. The cell walls of the specimen are progressively dissolved and silica is deposited into the empty spaces. In wood samples, as the process proceeds, cellulose and lignin, two components of wood, are degraded and replaced with silica. The specimen is transformed to stone (a process called lithification) as water is lost. For silicification to occur, the geothermic conditions must include a neutral to slightly acidic pH and a temperature and pressure similar to shallow-depth sedimentary environments. Under ideal natural conditions, silicification can occur at rates approaching those seen in artificial petrification.
324:, received a patent for his "recipe" for rapid artificial petrifaction of wood under US patent 4,612,050 in 1986. Hicks' recipe consists of highly mineralized water and a sodium silicate solution combined with a dilute acid with a pH of 4.0-5.5. Samples of wood are penetrated with this mineral solution through repeated submersion and applications of the solution. Wood treated in this fashion is - according to the claims in the patent - incapable of being burned and acquires the features of petrified wood. Some uses of this product as suggested by Hicks include use by horse breeders who desire fireproof stables constructed of nontoxic material that would also be resistant to chewing of the wood by horses.
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sometimes displayed in a decorative fashion. Also, larger pieces of the wood have been carved into sinks and basins. Other large pieces can also be crafted into chairs and stools. Petrified wood and other petrified organisms have also been used in jewelry, sculpture, clock-making, ashtrays and fruit bowls, and landscape and garden decorations.
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More recent attempts have been both successful and documented, but should be considered as semi-petrifaction or incomplete petrifaction or at least as producing some novel type of wood composite, as the wood material remains to a certain degree; the constituents of wood (cellulose, lignins, lignans,
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Pyritization is a process similar to silicification, but instead involves the deposition of iron and sulfur in the pores and cavities of an organism. Pyritization can result in both solid fossils as well as preserved soft tissues. In marine environments, pyritization occurs when organisms are buried
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typifies this process, but all organisms, from bacteria to vertebrates, can become petrified (although harder, more durable matter such as bone, beaks, and shells survive the process better than softer remains such as muscle tissue, feathers, or skin). Petrification takes place through a combination
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Replacement, the second process involved in petrifaction, occurs when water containing dissolved minerals dissolves the original solid material of an organism, which is then replaced by minerals. This can take place extremely slowly, replicating the microscopic structure of the organism. The slower
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Not only are the fossils produced through the process of petrifaction used for paleontological study, but they have also been used as both decorative and informative pieces. Petrified wood is used in several ways. Slabs of petrified wood can be crafted into tabletops, or the slabs themselves are
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still showing the initial structure of wood. Future uses would see these artificially petrified wood-ceramic materials eventually replace metal-based superalloys (which are coated with ultrahard ceramics) in the tool industry. Other vegetal matter could be treated in a similar process and yield
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began uncovering petrified trees. Local craftsmen and masons then built over 65 structures from this petrified wood, 45 of which were still standing as of June 2009. These structures include gas stations, flowerbeds, cottages, restaurants, fountains and gateposts.
137:), fills pore spaces and cavities of specimens, particularly bone, shell or wood. The pores of the organisms' tissues are filled when these minerals precipitate out of the water. Two common types of permineralization are silicification and pyritization.
172:). Carbonate shell material of the organism is then replaced with pyrite due to a higher concentration of pyrite and a lower concentration of carbonate in the surrounding water. Pyritization occurs to a lesser extent in plants in clay environments.
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oleoresins, etc.) have not been replaced by silicate, but have been infiltrated by specially formulated acidic solutions of aluminosilicate salts that gel in contact with wood matter and form a matrix of silicates within the
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in sediments containing a high concentration of iron sulfides. Organisms release sulfide, which reacts with dissolved iron in the surrounding water, when they decay. This reaction between iron and sulfides forms
263:, was built in 1932 and consists of walls and floors constructed from pieces of petrified wood. The structure, built by W.G. Brown, has since been converted to office space and a used car dealership.
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reported that they had successfully petrified wood samples artificially. Unlike natural petrification, though, they infiltrated samples in acidic solutions, diffused them internally with
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created through this process tend to contain a large amount of the original material of the specimen. This process occurs when groundwater containing dissolved minerals (most commonly
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people about 990 years ago, this eight-room building was constructed almost entirely out of petrified wood and is believed to have served as either a family home or meeting place.
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claimed to have supposedly "petrified" human remains. His methods were lost, but the bulk of his "pieces" are on display at the Museum of the
Department of Anatomy in
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Orlandini, G.E.; Tempestini R.; Lippi D.; Paternostro F.; Zecchi-Orlandini S.; Villari N. (January 2007). "Bodies of stone: Girolamo Segato (1792-1836)".
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284:, where fossilized dinosaur footprints from the Cretaceous period can be viewed. Another example of the use of petrified wood in construction is the
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and fired them in a high-temperature oven (circa 1400 °C) in an inert atmosphere to yield a man-made ceramic matrix composite of
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the rate of the process, the better defined the microscopic structure will be. The minerals commonly involved in replacement are
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after being left to react slowly for a given period of time in the solution or heat-cured for faster results. Hamilton Hicks of
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and replacement. These processes create replicas of the original specimen that are similar down to the microscopic level.
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Mineralogy and geochemistry of late Eocene silicified wood from
Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument, Colorado
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provides even more examples of the use of fossilized wood in architecture. Beginning in the 1920s, the farmers of
201:) are rarely found, but these fossils present significance to paleontology because they tend to be more detailed.
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Sigleo, Anne (1978). "Organic geochemistry of silicified wood, Petrified Forest
National Park, Arizona".
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Petrified wood has also been used in construction. The
Petrified Wood Gas Station, located on Main St
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through the replacement of the original material and the filling of the original pore spaces with
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Scientists attempted to artificially petrify organisms as early as the 18th century, when
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197:. Biotic remains preserved by replacement alone (as opposed to in combination with
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Silicification is the process in which organic matter becomes saturated with
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One of the processes involved in petrifaction is permineralization. The
793:"Petrified Wood : The Silicification of Wood by Permineralization"
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820:"Process Engineering | Petrified wood yields super ceramics"
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597:. National Computational Science in Education. Archived from
400: – Study of decomposition and fossilization of organisms
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When We Die: The
Science, Culture, and Rituals of Death
549:. Geological Society of America. pp. 127–140.
73: 'rock, stone') is the process by which
33:that have undergone petrifaction, as seen in
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329:Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL)
222:It has been suggested that this section be
738:Italian Journal of Anatomy and Embryology
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634:Kirby, Doug; Ken Smith; Mike Wilkins.
370:Petrifaction in mythology and fiction
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486:"Fossilization: How Do Fossils Form"
560:Leo, R.F.; Barghoorn, E.S. (1976).
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822:. Chemical Processing. 2005-07-25
660:Saltarelli, Mary G. (June 2009).
564:. Harvard University. p. 27.
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714:U.S. Department of the Interior
623:. Google Maps. August 13, 2018.
512:Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta
418:Cedric Mims (21 October 2014).
292:in Arizona. Built by ancestral
290:Petrified Forest National Park
35:Petrified Forest National Park
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765:"Sodium silicate composition"
424:. St. Martin's. p. 190.
21:Petrifaction (disambiguation)
689:"Dinosaur Valley State Park"
662:"Irreplaceable Works of Art"
636:"Petrified Wood Gas Station"
621:"Petrified Wood Gas Station"
532:10.1016/0016-7037(78)90045-5
451:Access Science Encyclopedia
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666:Texas Co-op Power Magazine
327:In 2005 scientists at the
278:Dinosaur Valley State Park
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90:of two similar processes:
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581:The Petrified Wood Museum
518:(9). Arizona: 1397–1405.
595:"How Does Wood Petrify?"
459:10.1036/1097-8542.803250
381:Substitution pseudomorph
366: – Geologic process
16:Process of fossilisation
800:Petrifiedwoodmuseum.org
716:. National Park Service
300:Artificial petrifaction
269:Somervell County, Texas
562:Silicification of Wood
322:Greenwich, Connecticut
133:(iron carbonate), and
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772:Freepatentsonline.com
129:(calcium phosphate),
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19:For other uses, see
577:"Permineralization"
524:1978GeCoA..42.1397S
447:"Permineralization"
282:Glen Rose Formation
545:Mustoe, G (2008).
348:abrasive powders.
286:Agate House Pueblo
276:is also noted for
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857:Sedimentary rocks
484:Perkins, Rogers.
431:978-1-4668-8385-7
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31:Tree remains
668:(June 2009)
239:August 2024
176:Replacement
841:Categories
826:2016-09-10
805:2016-09-10
777:2016-09-10
405:References
358:Concretion
77:becomes a
52:(from
398:Taphonomy
312:, Italy.
98:Processes
751:17580656
464:29 March
352:See also
333:titanium
310:Florence
280:and the
195:hematite
131:siderite
83:minerals
720:4 April
694:3 April
672:3 April
645:3 April
605:4 April
520:Bibcode
495:Feb 15,
288:in the
232:Discuss
183:calcite
127:apatite
123:calcite
115:fossils
42:geology
847:Botany
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337:carbon
294:Pueblo
193:, and
191:pyrite
187:silica
166:pyrite
153:silica
135:pyrite
119:quartz
79:fossil
796:(PDF)
768:(PDF)
226:into
224:moved
68:pétra
61:πέτρα
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747:PMID
722:2012
696:2012
674:2012
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466:2012
426:ISBN
343:and
335:and
318:wood
205:Uses
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