Petrified Wood Bookends
Petrified wood slices crafted into elegant bookends
A lovely way to show the beautiful striations and texture of petrified wood, these bookends are made from wood laid down in the Miocene period, approximately 20 million years ago.
The petrified wood was harvested in Indonesia, where, In the late Tertiary period, blankets of rainforest surrounding volcanoes were plentiful.
After volcanic eruption, these trees were buried by ash and lava, eliminating microbes that would have rotted the timber. The wood was then replaced with silica rich minerals such as chalcedony, quartz, calcite, opal and jasper.
These trace elements impart the beautiful colours in the petrified wood.
Traces of manganese impart blue and black colours, while iron traces result in different shades of brown and orange.
Size: 11x14x5cm
Weight: approx 3kg
Shopping with us supports the Australian Museum