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In geology
Geology

Geology is the science and study of the solid and liquid matter that constitute the Earth. The field of geology encompasses the study of the composition, structural geology, physical properties, dynamics, and History of the Earth of Earth materials, and the processes by which they are formed, moved, and changed....
, petrifaction, petrification or silicification is the process
Taphonomy

TaphonomyFrom greek Taphos; literally meaning 'study of the grave' is the research of decaying organisms over time and how they become fossilized ....
 by which organic material is converted into stone
Rock (geology)

In geology, rock is a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals and/or mineraloids.The Earth's outer solid layer, the lithosphere, is made of rock....
 by impregnation with silica. It is a rare form of fossilization
Fossil

Fossils are the preserved remains or trace fossil of animals, plants, and other organisms from the remote past. The totality of fossils, both discovered and undiscovered, and their placement in fossiliferous Rock formations and sedimentary rock layers is known as the fossil record....
. Petrified wood
Petrified wood

Petrified wood is a type of fossil: it consists of fossil wood where all the organic life have been replaced with minerals , while retaining the original structure of the wood....
 is the most well known result of this process, but all organisms from bacteria to vertebrates can be petrified.

jor ingredient in the cell walls of wood is cellulose
Cellulose

File:Cellulose Sessel.svgCellulose is an organic compound with the chemical formula , a polysaccharide consisting of a linear chain of several hundred to over ten thousand ? linked D-glucose units....
.






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Petrified Wood Closeup 2
In geology
Geology

Geology is the science and study of the solid and liquid matter that constitute the Earth. The field of geology encompasses the study of the composition, structural geology, physical properties, dynamics, and History of the Earth of Earth materials, and the processes by which they are formed, moved, and changed....
, petrifaction, petrification or silicification is the process
Taphonomy

TaphonomyFrom greek Taphos; literally meaning 'study of the grave' is the research of decaying organisms over time and how they become fossilized ....
 by which organic material is converted into stone
Rock (geology)

In geology, rock is a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals and/or mineraloids.The Earth's outer solid layer, the lithosphere, is made of rock....
 by impregnation with silica. It is a rare form of fossilization
Fossil

Fossils are the preserved remains or trace fossil of animals, plants, and other organisms from the remote past. The totality of fossils, both discovered and undiscovered, and their placement in fossiliferous Rock formations and sedimentary rock layers is known as the fossil record....
. Petrified wood
Petrified wood

Petrified wood is a type of fossil: it consists of fossil wood where all the organic life have been replaced with minerals , while retaining the original structure of the wood....
 is the most well known result of this process, but all organisms from bacteria to vertebrates can be petrified.

Process

A major ingredient in the cell walls of wood is cellulose
Cellulose

File:Cellulose Sessel.svgCellulose is an organic compound with the chemical formula , a polysaccharide consisting of a linear chain of several hundred to over ten thousand ? linked D-glucose units....
. Under certain conditions, the silica binds to the cellulose; when it crystallizes, it preserves the microscopic structure of wood even after the cellulose is gone.

Petrification is to be from permineralization. Permineralized animal or vegetable remains have their original pore space infilled with minerals. In petrification, while the pore space is infilled with minerals, the original material of the organism is also replaced with minerals.

See also

  • For a list of sites of major collections of petrified materials, see Petrified wood
    Petrified wood

    Petrified wood is a type of fossil: it consists of fossil wood where all the organic life have been replaced with minerals , while retaining the original structure of the wood....
    .
  • The Rhynie chert
    Rhynie chert

    The Rhynie chert is an Early Devonian Lagerst?ttefound near the village of Rhynie, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, containing exceptionally preserved plant, fungus, lichen and animal material petrified in three dimensions by covering with fast-setting volcanic minerals....
    , A famous early petrified ecosystem
  • Taphonomy
    Taphonomy

    TaphonomyFrom greek Taphos; literally meaning 'study of the grave' is the research of decaying organisms over time and how they become fossilized ....
     - ways that fossil
    Fossil

    Fossils are the preserved remains or trace fossil of animals, plants, and other organisms from the remote past. The totality of fossils, both discovered and undiscovered, and their placement in fossiliferous Rock formations and sedimentary rock layers is known as the fossil record....
    isation can happen