Petrified Wood Slice from Blue Forest, Wyoming

Golden yellows and soft gray-blues grace this lovely petrified wood slice from the famous Blue Forest in Eden Valley, Sweetwater County, Wyoming. This petrified wood has been dated to the Eocen Epoch, approximately 50 million years ago.

The dark colors of the petrified wood contrast beautifully with the mineral replacement in the form of blue, gray and white Chalcedony. If that weren't enough, bright golden yellow Calcite has also joined the geologic party! This piece even fluoresces under exposure to a UV flashlight!

The front has been polished to a high gloss finish, with the sides left in the raw and natural condition. A thin layer of fiberglass was applied to the back of the slice to ensure the stones structure and stability.

Petrified wood forms when a tree falls and is rapidly buried by sediment such as volcanic ash or river sediments. In this case, the tree fell into a swamp or bog, and was rapidly buried by algae. The algae formed a kind of cast around the tree, creating a reduced oxygen environment (anaerobic) which halts the usual decay process.

Minerals carried through the flow of water and absorbed into the tree and the surrounding algal cast slowly began to replace the organic material and crystallize. Over hundreds and thousands of years this crystallization took place hardening into stone.