A shaft of light hits a big piece of petrified wood, while the shadow of the mountain behind me hides the surrounding area and makes the subject stand out.
So, how about the petrified wood in the National Park? In a nutshell, the process of per-mineralization of the wood was accomplished by silicification, meaning that the wood was replaced by silica long time ago. That’s interesting, but beside the scientific facts there are other reasons to point the lens at these gems in the desert.
Erosion produces the look how we can see the fossilized trunks in the park. Many are still buried under layers of soil and rock.
Different minerals have produced the colors we can find in the petrified wood today.