Travels and Adventures

Petrified log - one of many in the park

Wikipedia's definition of petrified wood: "Petrified wood is a type of fossil: it exists of fossil wood where all the organic materials have been replaced with minerals (most often a silicate, such as quartz), while retaining the original structure of the wood. The petrifaction process has occurred underground, when wood became buried under sediment. Mineral-rich water flowing through the sediment deposited minerals in the plant's cells and as the plant's lignin and cellulose decayed away, a stone cast was formed in its place."

The pretrification process preserves all of the features of the original wood, right down to the microscopic level, including tree rings.