Silicified wood is normally formed close to the surface due to the infiltration of buried wood with mineral-rich water and the associated deposition of minerals (Kim et al., 2009). Two typical geological environments have been reported, 1) trees transported by streams and rivers then buried in the fluvial sediments (e.g., Weibel, 1996; Fielding and Alexander, 2001; Parrish and Falcon-Lang, 2007; Hartmann et al., 2010), and 2) ash from volcanic eruptions buries trees while felled or still upright (e.g., Sigleo, 1979; Witke et al., 2004). The resulting lithic cast forms as the wood’s cell wall components break-down owing to the continuing deposition of silica at a rate and in a manner consistent with maintaining the dimensional …show more content…
Some trace elements are known to reside in mineral/fluid inclusions rather than in the silica host. However, silicified woods are mainly permineralized with silica polymorphs and thus, retain the fundamental structure of a silicon tetrahedron, especially quartz (normally composed of nearly 100% SiO2). In addition, other oxides (e.g. Al2O3, Na2O, TiO2) present in small amount are generally due to either small inclusions of other minerals (e.g. rutile) or liquid infillings in cavities (Deer et al., 1996). Nevertheless, as noted by Larsen et al. (2004), quartz is rarely considered as a viable source of genetic information because the trace-element concentration is generally very low. For a better understanding of trace elements in petrified wood, the current paper focuses on identifying the chemical characteristics of the silicified wood samples. It aims to provide information on mineral chemistry and colour attribution in petrified wood. The results of this study will provide a better understanding of silicified wood identification for the use in mineralogy and