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Undead Stone
Undead Stone
16”x24”
2020

Traditional homeland of the Zuni, Pueblo, Hopi Tutskwa, and Diné Bikéyah peoples.

Petrified Forest, Arizona, USA

Around 200 million years ago, this now semi-desert land was covered with trees and a vast river system. Large trees that died fell into the water and were swiftly covered in mud and volcanic ash. In order for trees to become petrified, they must be buried rapidly and so cut off from oxygen and organisms that would normally consume them. When the element silicon is dissolved in the groundwater, it percolates through the tree’s fibers, filling in the empty spaces and replacing the once living cells of the plant. Often, silica contains small amounts of other elements and minerals which change the way light interacts with the crystals, thus changing the color you perceive. These different pigments are possible because the wood doesn't become mineralized all at once, the process unfolds over many years. So, over time and influence of temperature, pressure, and water pH, different minerals make their way into the groundwater, and thus into fallen logs, where they react to form a colorful spectrum of minerals.