Petrified wood disk from Java

Dimensions: 34 x 16 cm.

Very decorative disc of a tree trunk. Beautiful details and beautifully polished. This object is the trunk of a petrified tree (fossil wood) from Java, Indonesia. The bark and shape of the tree are very well preserved. The structure of the bark is still clearly visible after millions of years. Petrified wood is a type of stone that can be formed when trees end up under a thick layer of volcanic ash. The ash contains minerals that dissolve in the groundwater. The wood does not rot and the groundwater soaks the tree and the minerals are deposited in the wood cells. Slowly but surely, minerals take the place of the wood cells. This process takes place so slowly that the structure of the wood is perfectly preserved.