AGE
approximately 145 million years (Jurassic)
LOCATION
Queensland, Australia
SIZE
7.8cm x 4.3cm, 0.88cm thick
*NOTE: THIS FOSSIL COMES WITH A GIFT BOX, A FLOATING FRAME AND ENGRAVED BASE, AN INFORMATION CARD, AND AN INTERNATIONAL AUTHENTICITY CERTIFICATE (all included in the price). Fossil-themed greeting cards are also available.
DESCRIPTION
This is a 7.8cm wide, polished and petrified tree fern from Queensland, Australia. It is beautifully polished on one side. This is one of the rarest gem quality petrified woods, coming from the Osmundaceae family.
Fossils of wood (called Petrified Wood) formation happens when the organic matter is replaced by minerals, whilst preserving much of the original structure. For this to happen the wood needs to be buried in a place where there is very little oxygen (to prevent decomposition) and with flowing mineral water. During this process, the wood becomes harder and turns into a substance similar to stone. The coloration is due to the various minerals that are present during fossilization. For example red colors are due to iron compounds, greens due to copper, etc.