Opalized Wood | Wyoming

This rare opalized petrified wood was collected on private land near Pinedale, Wyoming.

Eocene epoch (~35myo)

Specimen approx. dimensions: 4.8cm x 3.1cm x 2.4cm

Petrified Wood formed when the original trees and branches were rapidly buried under sediment and were initially preserved due to a lack of oxygen some 50 million years ago. Petrifaction occurs when water that contains inorganic minerals, such as calcium carbon-ate or silica, passes slowly through the organic wood.

As the original wood’s lignin and cellulose decay away, its original cellular structure is duplicated and replaced by these inorganic minerals. Elements such as manganese, iron and copper in the water and sediment during the petrification process give petrified wood a variety of color ranges.