petrified softwood

Fossil wood is wood that is preserved in the fossil record. Over time the wood will usually be the part of a plant that is best preserved (and most easily found). Fossil wood may or may not be petrified. Download high resolution version (1024x768, 147 KB) http://pdphoto. ... Download high resolution version (1024x768, 147 KB) http://pdphoto. ... Petrified log at the Petrified Forest National Park A petrified tree from California Petrified wood is a type of fossil: it consists 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 study of fossil wood is sometimes called "palaeoxylology", with a "palaeoxylologist" somebody who studies fossil wood.

The fossil wood may be the only part of the plant that has been preserved, with the rest of the plant completely unknown: therefore such wood may get a special kind of botanical name. This will usually include "xylon" and a term indicating its presumed affinity, such as Araucarioxylon. A botanical name is a formal name conforming to the ICBN. As with its zoological and bacterial equivalents it may also be called a scientific name. Botanical names may be in one part (genus and above), two parts (species) or three parts (below the rank of species). ... Binomial name Araucarioxylon arizonicum Araucarioxylon arizonicum is a fossil conifer that is the state fossil of Arizona. ...