Miocene Petrified Palm
Palmoxylon sp.
Miocene
Banten, Indonesia
Here is an excellent example of fossilized palm wood from the Miocene of Indonesia. The slab is 12 by 10.5 inches and is ½ inch thick. This specimen has excellent preservation and clearly displays the details of the wood’s vascular structure. The slab is reinforced with a fiberglass backing and makes an excellent display on an easel stand.

At the end of the Tertiary era (Miocene-Pliocene), a dense tropical forest, made up of Dipterocarpus (of the Magnolia family) and of palm trees, covered the Indonesian volcanic chain from Sumatra in Bali, to the west of Java. From time to time, the volcanoes became active. The force of the eruption was such that surrounding forests were uprooted. A thick layer of burning volcanic ash covered them. The nearest trees were consumed, those insufficiently covered rotted away. But those between these two extremes benefited from ideal conditions. They became naturally sterilized by the heat which destroyed bacteria normally found in decay. The silica found in volcanic ash became dissolved in the percolation fluids. It gradually replaced the wood, molecule after molecule, by minerals such as quartz or agate, hence preserving the shape of the trees and even their cells. Petrified trees are sometimes found in streams, but the most beautiful pieces are found buried several meters deep.
$350