Okay now I have to show you my piece of petrified wood. It smells like science.

Petrified wood, exactly like its name is essentially fossilized vegetation. For my piece specifically, it came from an extinct species of conifer trees that lived around 225 million years ago, specifically the late Triassic/early Mesozoic in what is is now Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona.

The mineral that makes up the composition of petrified wood is SiO2, silicon dioxide more commonly known as quartz. The wood was buried over time, of course, but eventually natural erosion of the land brought these fossils back to the surface. Since SiO2 is significantly denser than the surrounding environment (consists of primarily sand and clay), the petrified wood stays intact and whole as it is exposed. :)

In the fourth photo, you can see the bark-like appearance of what was once the external surface of the tree. And in the third, it’s a bad photo, but you can actually see some of the capillaries and overall ring structure.

I really love this rock, man. It sits right next to me.