Louisiana


 * __ By: __ Ruben Guerrero **


 * __ STATE: __** Louisiana
 * __ FOSSIL: __**// Palmoxylon sp. // (Petrified Palm-wood)


 * __ DESCRIPTION: __**
 * The petrified wood is a quartz-like stone fossil
 * The patterns in the rock look like the ones from the palm wood and comes in variety of colors
 * Most of the rocks are spotted
 * Depending on how it is cut, the rock can display a variety of patterns which is useful for jewelry
 * Petrified Palm-wood is considered the most beautiful fossil




 * __ TIME EXISTED: __**
 * The petrified palm-wood has said to come from forests 100 million years ago
 * To Louisiana though, the actual rocks have been formed 24-30 million years ago


 * __ PRESERVATION: __**
 * The petrified palm-wood comes from fallen trees in muddy soil/swamps
 * Those fallen trees don’t decay while due to the lack of oxygen
 * After time when wood is below the surface, minerals form a cast of mineral, which hardens, and water preserves the tissue of the actual wood inside the cast


 * __ WHO FOUND THE FOSSIL/WHY IS IT THE STATE FOSSIL: __**
 * Petrified palm-wood was officially declared the state fossil in 1976.
 * Petrified was actually fist found in Arizona by Lorenzo Silgreaves
 * Louisiana adopted the fossil due to the amount of mineral rich forest that it contains within the state

Clementes, G., (//unknown//). Fossil Preservation. //Petrification.// Retrieved from: [] Heinrich, P., V., (2001). Petrified Palm Wodd. //The Louisiana State Fossil.// Version 4.0. Retrieved from: []
 * __ SOURCES: __**