Many of the areas with abundant occurrences of valuable dendrolites have been declared protected areas. However, even if our contemporaries destroy all the natural accumulations of petrified wood available today, our descendants will not be left with anything! Because the formation of this precious stone did not stop for a minute during all four hundred and fifty million years of the existence of trees.
How wood becomes stone
It's simple! If a tree trunk (not just any tree, hardwoods are preferable) is immersed in a saline solution and deprived of the opportunity to come into contact with atmospheric oxygen, then instead of rotting (the breakdown of complex organic matter into simpler components), a process will take place.The replacement of wood tissue substances begins almost immediately after placing the tree in a mineral environment, and lasts an incredibly long time. The well-known bog oak (essentially, the initial phase) gains marketable condition after a thousand to one and a half thousand years of being in water. Before it is completely transformed into a precious stone, oak needs to be “marinated” longer, from half a million to a million years.
Thus, if our distant descendants take the time to pull out larch piles from the seabed of Venice and Amsterdam, they will provide themselves with first-class petrified wood. But it is not a fact that the mined dendrolites will turn out to be precious.
The power of beauty lies in a coincidence
Wood organic matter is replaced by those substances with which it comes into contact. If a tree is covered with sand, its tissues are most likely to turn into silica, and the cellular and vascular structure of the plant can be preserved in great detail.A pine tree grown on the slope of a chalk mountain has every chance of undergoing geological metamorphoses and turning into (with inclusions and dolomite). Marbled wood, reacting with salt solutions of varying acidity, often changes color. Delicate tones of grayish-pink, yellowish, crimson and even purple colors appear in the thickness of calcined wood after a leisurely interaction with compounds of various metals.
Substitution reactions in the same piece of wood can occur more than once. It is still unknown exactly how silica in tree trunks found in coal deposits of North Asian regions is converted into.
Stone wood table
The “right of the first night” in relation to petrified wood belongs to paleobiologists. Organisms preserved by fossilization are an invaluable treasure trove of information! Many cultures of the past perceived dendrolites as fragments of trees from the Garden of Eden, and attached colored chipped trunks to pagan altars.At the dawn of our civilization, numerous rich household items were carved from petrified wood. Stonewood is used in much the same way today. It is not difficult to buy an ashtray, a writing instrument or a box made of stone, in which ancient wood can be easily guessed. And it’s not expensive: the price of such products is measured in tens or hundreds of dollars.
Cuts are more expensive large trees: sometimes their size allows you to turn entire tabletops. Unique, collectible specimens of fossilized wood can be sold at a price accessible only to advanced natural history museums.
The secret properties of petrified wood
A cross carved from petrified wood is considered an effective instrument of exorcism. The spirits of hellish dungeons cannot resist the chthonic forces of the once living stone and the spiritual power of the Christian symbol that have merged together.In terms of lithotherapeutic potential, petrified wood coincides with
Humanity has always been interested in various minerals, their properties and origin. Some of them were bred quite recently, but there are also those that came from ancient times, and it took hundreds and thousands of years for their formation. One such natural substance is petrified wood.
Description of the mineral
The growth and death of trees is by nature natural process, which has existed for millions of years. Remains of ancient trees under the influence of chemical and physical processes Over time they turn into stone. In certain sedimentary rocks, wood does not completely dissolve, but over millions of years turns into a fossil.
Thanks to the influence of various minerals on wood, it often acquires amazing colors: red, pink, dark brown, yellow, blue and even blue and violet. Mostly in such fossils, growth rings are left on a cut of wood. Sometimes they disappear, and in their place amazing and magical patterns are formed. They are noticeable not only in a transverse, but also in a longitudinal section of a part of petrified wood. This mineral is very easy to cut, polish and other influences, despite its strength and density.
Usually the petrified wood is a modified opal, and sometimes its structure is completely replaced by chalcedony or quartz.
The magical properties of petrified wood
Like most minerals, ancient petrified wood has many medicinal properties. Owners of petrified wood always cope with stress easily and are not subject to the harmful effects of polluted environment. This substance can also strengthen a person’s immunity and make him more resistant to various infections, especially in winter time. People suffering from arthritis should always carry a piece of petrified wood, as it will help overcome this ailment and reduce pain. Thanks to these properties, petrified wood can significantly prolong the life of its owner.
Petrified wood is known for its magical properties, and all jewelry made from it is considered powerful amulets. They help their owners to positively perceive all changes in life, turning them in a favorable and beneficial direction. Also, petrified wood perfectly helps to successfully solve financial matters and strive to achieve earthly goods. At the same time, its owners will never become stingy or vain. If crafts made from petrified wood are placed in the house, it will help quickly resolve conflict situations in the family and strengthen family ties. The Slavs used amulets made from this mineral as powerful protection against rapists, murderers and thieves.
Belonging to the zodiac sign
It is known that each zodiac sign has its own mineral, which suits it best in character and is a reliable amulet. Petrified wood is best suited for Gemini. It helps them quickly solve material problems, become more practical and realistic. It is known that this substance is necessary for those people who tend to dream a lot and have their head in the clouds, and their any attempts to bring what they want to life always end in failure.
Methods and areas of application
Petrified wood is often used in medicine. Always carrying a small piece of this mineral with you is recommended for people with a weak psyche, frequent emotional breakdowns, sudden changes blood pressure. To do this, just put it in your pocket or bag. For arthritis, petrified wood is applied to painful areas for several hours.
This mineral is also used as decoration or for making various crafts. It is very easy to process petrified wood, so you can cut any sculpture from it that will decorate your home interior.
Petrified wood- these are the remains of trees that grew in the Permian and Carboniferous period, turned into stone. petrified wood represents either a complete pseudomorph of opal on wood and in this case is often called woody opal, or it is completely replaced by chalcedony. The most common are opal-chalcedony varieties with various combinations of both components; replacement of wood by cryptocrystalline quartz (Arizona wood) is also observed. There is siderite petrified wood (Kamchatka). Iron hydroxides, pyrite, and carbonates are common minor minerals in petrified wood; in addition, bluish veins of barite-celestine composition are noted. The formation of petrified wood, i.e., the replacement of trunks and their fragments with silica or carbonate, occurred under wood burial conditions that prevented decay and carbonization. This could have happened during post-volcanic processes of low-temperature metamorphism with high activity of silicic acid when the forest was buried under the products of volcanic eruptions, when trees were filled with loose material (dune sands, glacial moraine, etc.). The degree of siliification and the amount of substitute mineral chromophores, mainly iron hydroxides, determined the color of the petrified wood from white to black and all shades of brown; red, purple and yellow varieties are also found. The hardness of jewelry and ornamental materials is 5.5-6; with a significant admixture of carbonate and carbonaceous material, it decreases to 3-4. Textural varieties of petrified wood.
Mineral class: Oxides
Hardness: 5.5-6.5
Density: 2.6
Color: Brown, gray, red
Trait color: white, sometimes colored
Gloss: matte, waxy
Transparency: opaque
Cleavage: none
Fracture: conchoidal, uneven
Syngony: amorphous mass or aggregate
Is the mineral brittle?: No
Malleability: No
Reaction to HCl: No
Crystal pleochroism: No
Iridescence: No
Magnetic properties: No
Refraction: 1,54
Birefringence: none
Description:
Conditions of education and location:
Unique accumulations of petrified wood are located in the United States in the central part of the state. Arizona (since 1906 this area has been declared a National Park). IN late XIX V. here vast deposits of dense petrified wood were discovered, the best in the world in quality, beauty of color and design. Fragments of petrified wood replaced by cryptocrystalline quartz occur in Triassic conglomerates. Former tree trunks are completely devoid of branches and twigs; the largest “logs” reach a length of 20 m with a diameter of 1.5–2 m; fragments of 1–6 m in length predominate.
Less significant deposits are known in the states of Washington, Oregon, as well as in India, Iraq, Syria and other countries. The Goderdzskoe deposits in Georgia, Sariarskoe in Armenia and Lvovskoe in Ukraine are famous. In 1911, near the Goderdz Pass, a cemetery of large trunks, covered volcanic ash. The tuffs contain numerous petrified tree trunks with a diameter of 20 to 70 cm. The Goderdza tree is highly valued by stone carvers, best samples are selected from channel deposits. At the Sariarskoe deposit near the city of Leninakan, accumulations of petrified wood are developed in fine-clastic tuff conglomerates and tuff sandstones over an area of about 1.5 km2. Fossilized trunks, branches, and fragments have a diameter of 2 to 30 cm and a length of 5-40 cm. Wood fragments up to 1 m long and up to 60 cm in diameter are rarely found. At the Lvovskoe deposit, in the sands of the Middle Miocene, fragments of petrified tree trunks up to 0.5 are found m in diameter and up to 2 m in length. Large fragments of wood among clay and marls of the Upper Cretaceous are noted at the Tuzkul and Chabakty deposits in Southern Kazakhstan. IN last years petrified wood was discovered in Kamchatka, Chukotka and Primorsky Krai.
Usage:
The decorative effect of a stone is determined by its color, the pattern of annual rings, and the distribution of differently structured and differently colored areas. Varieties with small contrasting patterns are a material for inserts and small jewelry(beads, necklaces, bracelets, etc.). Samples with less pronounced zoning and with a large spotted or spotted-striped pattern are suitable for the manufacture of vases, tabletops, candlesticks, boxes, writing utensils, etc. The unique pattern and beauty of the stone are manifested both in transverse sections and in sections along the annual rings.
Petrified tree trunks, which are highly decorative, are considered an ornamental stone and have been known since the times of the civilization of Assyria, Babylon and Rome.
Today, products made from petrified wood are in great demand on the world market. Particularly interesting are polished plates or fragments of petrified wood with a bright ring pattern. In combination with other stones, metal and glass, petrified wood gives a unique decorative effect. It is used especially widely in the United States, due to the presence of large deposits on its territory. There, tabletops, vases, candelabra, mantelpieces and other interior items are made from its trunks. In Russia, this stone is used as an excellent material for the production of souvenirs, jewelry and so-called “cabinet” products: ashtrays, stands for pens, and also as spectacular collector’s items.
"Wooden" bench. Product of the Kazan company "Palisander", Tatarstan, Russia. Company website: www.kamvod.ru
Magical properties. (! Not verified):
All petrified wood samples have high bioenergetic activity. This activity is due to the unique chemical composition petrified wood (a combination of inorganic compounds and the carbon skeleton of ancient wood) and a special structure that has preserved the morphological orientation features of a living tree. In Mongolian medicine, “tablets” of petrified wood from the Gobi Desert have been applied to joints for arthritis and other similar diseases since ancient times.
Medicinal properties.
IN folk medicine It is believed that petrified wood can alleviate suffering if a slab made from it is applied to the sore spot. Lithotherapists suggest that petrified wood beads normalize blood pressure, relieve nervous tension, are a prophylactic against various nervous and mental diseases.
Magical properties.
In ancient times, amulets in the form of figurines of gods or animals were made from petrified wood. It was believed that these amulets protected the home from fires, lightning, and floods. Rings and bracelets were worn to protect against thieves and robbers. Beads made from petrified wood, according to some experts in magic, can increase the life span of people born under the signs of the Earth. The petrified wood talisman works as follows: you need to keep a figurine of an animal made of petrified wood at home, and promise to come back before leaving. The talisman will wait and protect you from troubles.
Interesting:
** petrified wood enjoys such popularity all over the world that in many countries they dedicate stamps.
Petrified wood is an organogenic rock that was formed during past geological eras from the remains of trees that underwent metamorphic changes.
In the trees of Coal and Permian period, who died under the sediment of volcanic products, in the absence of oxygen access, the organic components were gradually replaced by mineral elements: often by opal and chalcedony, less often by siderites and quartz. The auxiliary components were carbonates, iron hydroxides and pyrites. Under the influence of these processes and time, ordinary wood turned into fossils of unique beauty, which, even after millions of years, retained their natural wood texture.
The physical properties of petrified wood are similar to many rock-forming minerals. Fossils are characterized by high hardness and density, are easily processed due to the lack of brittleness, and have a waxy luster and conchoidal fracture. The crystals lack cleavage, as well as the effects of iridescence and pleochroism. Petrified wood does not react to acids, is not malleable and has no magnetic properties.
The structure of wood stone is opaque with predominant shades of brown, black, gray and red. Lines are indicated in white, but sometimes the line can be colored.
Varieties of petrified wood
Wood fossils are divided into varieties based on structural features and texture.
- Homogeneous fossils. They have an almost uniform texture and color of the rings, divided into zones by lines. Wood species with an opal-rich structure are characterized by light, almost white colors.
- Spotted fossils. Decorative variety tree species, the structure contains a combination of chalcedony and opal, supplemented with iron hydroxides. The ratio of these elements determines the zonal coloration of brown shades and the texture of the fossil: banded or spotted.
- Jet-shaped petrified tree. The basis of black fossils is opal or carbonate with the obligatory presence of carbon. The texture is distinguished by clearly defined lines, which in some cases turn into a wavy pattern. Visually ebony resembles jet or black jade.
- Concentrically zoned fossil. The rock alternates multi-colored stripes, saturated with opals or a combination of chalcedony with opals. Brown, beige and white colors alternate between the growth rings, giving the fossil a rich, banded texture.
- Lens fossil. The structure is formed by filling the voids in the wood with a composition of iron hydroxides, chalcedony and opals. The result is a linear lens-like or spectacle-like texture.
Place of Birth
Deposits of petrified wood are most often located in areas of volcanic eruptions. Largest deposit beautiful and high quality fossils are located in American state Arizona in the territory of the National Park called the “Petrified Forest”. Tree trunks of amazing colors up to 65 meters long and up to 3 meters in diameter were found in this area. Also in the USA, production is carried out in Oregon and Washington.
Significant deposits of petrified wood are found in India, Georgia, Syria, Iraq, Argentina, New Zealand, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Brazil, Canada, Greece and the Czech Republic. In Russia, petrified trees were discovered in the Primorsky Territory, as well as in the territories of Kamchatka and Chukotka. In Ukraine, wood fossils are found in the Lviv region.
Many deposits in which large petrified trees with unique and amazing patterns were discovered are recognized as nature reserves or national parks, therefore no mining is carried out in them.
The magical properties of petrified wood
In ancient cultures, petrified wood was considered a symbol of the universe. Protective magical objects were made from it, which protected the house and its residents from theft, accidents, natural disasters, predatory animals, enemies and envious people. Figurines carved from wood fossils and placed in the house contributed to the harmonization of relationships, respect and mutual understanding between relatives.
Among the Slavs, amulets made of petrified wood with protective symbols acted as a kind of energy shield, reflecting negative messages in the form of damage, slander or the evil eye. Carvings of gods and beasts were used in rituals to evoke higher power, ask for luck in hunting or a good harvest.
In modern times, petrified wood is used to attract material wealth and achieve goals as quickly as possible. The stone teaches you to overcome obstacles with dignity, to perceive life-changing changes philosophically, to enjoy existing benefits, to enjoy accomplishments and pleasant little things, without getting hung up on the material sphere.
Medicinal properties
Petrified wood has a positive effect on the human body. It affects vitality and physical activity, relieves stress, and restores emotional balance. Petrified wood is believed to have the ability to prolong life.
Plates cut from fossils are used by lithotherapists for application procedures for arthritis, rheumatoid pain and other joint diseases. Pieces of wood are applied to injured areas to relieve pain.
Petrified wood is used during the treatment of infectious diseases as an adjuvant that enhances the effect medicines. Beads and necklaces made from it stabilize blood pressure and prevent the development of nervous disorders and depression.
Petrified wood products and prices
The unique pattern and high hardness make petrified wood in demand in many areas. First of all, this is a high-quality finishing material, which, in combination with glass, rock-forming minerals and metal, creates a unique and stylish room decor.
Sections of large trees are used to make countertops, cabinets, sinks, stands, mantelpieces, which are made in a variety of variations, while leaving natural shape edges or giving the product strict geometric parameters. Although furniture made from wood fossils has heavy weight, it looks impressive in combination with modern interior items.
The price of petrified wood furniture depends on its size, texture and quality of material. For example, the cost of a tabletop with legs varies from $350 to $1000. The price of the sink will be $400-700. A stand designed in the shape of a panda figurine is more expensive. Its cost reaches $1200.
Fragments of petrified wood are used in crafts, making souvenir table sets, balls on stands, carved animal figures, ashtrays, vases and candelabra. A souvenir egg on a stand made of petrified wood costs from $60 to $150. The cost of wood cuts presented in the form of panels, depending on the size, is $200-1200. Tumbled crystals measuring 1-3 cm, intended for making magical items, can be purchased at an affordable price from 0.5 to 2 $.
Petrified wood is used in jewelry to create jewelry with unique designs. An elegant pendant with a polished stone in a silver frame can be purchased for $50; the cost of a ring, depending on the size of the processed crystal, ranges from $25 to $50.
Onyx – a stone of energy and strength
Opal - a stone of false hopes
Jet protective amulet black color
Shungite – healing black stone
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