Officina Libraria Buried Treasure: The Gillespie Collection of Petrified Wood

A magnificent collection of 66 pieces of petrified wood mainly from the Western United States, specially photographed to show the artistic beauty hidden in Nature's masterpieces All the images are unpublished and were specifically shot for this book Will appeal to all collectors of petrified wood and minerals as well as those who do not collect but are interested, or are scholars in the field Authoritative text by the Curator of Minerals at the American Museum of Natural History This stunning book documents a collection of 66 extraordinary pieces of petrified wood, mainly from Western United States (Arizona, Oregon, Washington). Specially photographed they are shown in their entirety and in magnificent details. Petrified wood is formed from fallen trees that in the absence of oxygen and microbes, and with water containing minerals, through a replacement process called permineralization, slowly transform into visually spectacular fossils. But Nature often uses a paintbrush in its preservation magic, splashing the wooden canvas with an array of colours and hues before fixing it in a matrix of hard durable quartz, thereby creating splendid works of art. Petrified wood has been found throughout the world, but actual petrified forests are truly noteworthy in the United States, the most famous being the Chinle Formation forest of Arizona.