Lot 71
Two Spectacular Petrified Wood Log Sections
10 – 11 August 2020, 10:00 PDT
Los AngelesSold for US$446.25 inc. premium
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Two Spectacular Petrified Wood Log Sections
Araucarioxylon arizonicum
Triassic, Chinle Formation, Arizona
The Chinle Formation in Arizona is known for producing some of the most beautiful examples of petrified wood in the world, and these large and strikingly-colored sections are a perfect illustration of how it lives up to that reputation. The highly -polished contoured surface of each reveals the intricate ring-growth and internal structure of the original tree, the wood replaced by sedimentary deposits in which trace eleminets and minerals provide the enormous spectrum if colors seen here: yellow, red, gray, brown, blue and orange highlighted by spidery lines of black manganese. Even more spectacularly, part of the smaller examples has been replaced with sparkling quartz crystals, a rare occurrence that bears testimony to its having been superheated during the fossilzation process and providing even greater contrast with the original rough texture of the bark that lines much of the exterior of the log in a strong red-brown earthy shade. Both are displayed to best advantage on a modern section of tree trunk, cut and fashioned to support both specimens. The smaller 38.1 x 31.8 x 25.4 cm; the larger specimen 66.0 x 63.5 x 27.9 cm (3)
Triassic, Chinle Formation, Arizona
The Chinle Formation in Arizona is known for producing some of the most beautiful examples of petrified wood in the world, and these large and strikingly-colored sections are a perfect illustration of how it lives up to that reputation. The highly -polished contoured surface of each reveals the intricate ring-growth and internal structure of the original tree, the wood replaced by sedimentary deposits in which trace eleminets and minerals provide the enormous spectrum if colors seen here: yellow, red, gray, brown, blue and orange highlighted by spidery lines of black manganese. Even more spectacularly, part of the smaller examples has been replaced with sparkling quartz crystals, a rare occurrence that bears testimony to its having been superheated during the fossilzation process and providing even greater contrast with the original rough texture of the bark that lines much of the exterior of the log in a strong red-brown earthy shade. Both are displayed to best advantage on a modern section of tree trunk, cut and fashioned to support both specimens. The smaller 38.1 x 31.8 x 25.4 cm; the larger specimen 66.0 x 63.5 x 27.9 cm (3)
