Rare Color Araucarioxylon arizonicum Petrified Wood Section

Name: Araucarioxylon arizonicum

Division: Pinophyta (conifers); Class: Pinopsida; Order: Pinales; Family: Araucariaceae

Age: Late Triassic, Norian-Carnian Stage

Size: 58 mm long by 45 mm wide by up to 32 mm thick; weight 131 grams

Location: Winslow, Arizona

Code: PW012

Price: $125.00


Araucarioxylon arizonicum Petrified WoodDescription: This specimen of highly-colored petrified wood from the Chinle Formation (Norian-Carnian Stage, ~225 million year old) deposits of Winslow, Arizona comes with a story. Almost 15 years ago, I came across a few examples of this rare material at a rock shop in southern Utah. I purchased a sample, and thought little of it. After my return home, I decided to try to obtain some larger specimens. I had been unsuccessful until a few years ago. The rich green color is the result of ~2% Chromium content. While the many types of petrified wood come in a panoply of colors, only a very few types are green; the only other known to me is found in Africa. This material comes from a small deposit near Winslow, and is not known from any other location. Araucarioxylon arizonicum is the state fossil of Arizona, and is the taxon comprising some 90% of all specimens found in the Petrified Forest National Monument. It was a coniferous tree standing some 150-200 feet tall, and some 6-8 feet in diameter. Its closest relatives today are the Monkey Puzzle Tree of South America and the Norfolk Island Pine. All my initial specimens are now gone; I was able to acquire a few more, but have been told no more will be available from the field, as it appears to be played out.

Fossil Purchase Information

click to enlarge


Fossil Mall Navigation:

l Fossil Mall Home l Fossils for Sale Map l Museum and Rare Fossils l How to Buy Fossils l

Navigate by Fossil Dealers:
l EDCOPE Enterprises l Pangaea Fossils l Stonerelic l Western Fossils l

Navigate by Fossil Category:
l Fossil Amber l Ammonites l Dinosaur and Reptile Fossils l
l Crinoids and Echinoderms l Fish Fossils l Insect Fossils l Invertebrate Fossils l
l Plant Fossils l Stromatolites l Trace & Ichnofossils l Trilobites l
l Russian Trilobites l Vertebrate Fossils l
l Cambrian Explosion Fossils l

Fossils & Paleontology:
l Fossil Science Section l Paleobiology and Geological Time l