THE FOSSIL STORE™ brings you a wonderful discovery from Madagascar of a partial petrified Araucaria araucana tree measuring one meter in height that has per-mineralised to form an exquisite display of petrification that consists of several processes.

This story begins a millennia ago with a natural disaster that felled thousands of Araucaria trees. This event left a land of Araucaria trees vulnerable to the elements thereafter, however, fortunate to the origins of this particular genus, it was a mineral rich environment that positively reenforced the preservation with mineralisation leading to petrification anomalies that have transformed this once-living organism in to a piece of art, capturing a time that hasn't been seen in 220,000,000+ years.

In this extraordinary deposition includes Quartz in the form of Jaspers and Calcites that have solidified within. Also evident are the growth rings, seen in bands of varying colours. The exterior bark of the palm speaks for itself on a visual level with a beautifully rare verde colouration.

Petrification takes place as the spore spaces in living tissues of the wood are replaced by minerals through a process of per-mineralisation as mineral-laden water seeps through the tissues to form internal mineral structures, cell by cell that helps reinforce the preservation at a microscopic level and now presents a true representation of the original article.

Overall, this Araucaria araucana specimen has many potentials. One for the minimalist looking for a special accent in their home - whether this is for a center piece, a seating space for that special view or a LUXE tall pedestal sink. No matter the journey, this item is a statement and a talking piece.

The details

Genus: Petrified / Araucaria Araucana / Petrified Wood [Araucariaceae]
Age: Early Triassic, 220 to 250 million years
Origin: Ambilobe, Madagascar

Araucaria tree

H: 107 CM / W: 30 CM / D: 28 CM / KG: 150 - 250