The Petrification and Permineralization Process.

[Admin]

Organic materials become fossils the same way

geodes and other underground voids are filled.

Ground waters and electromagnetic currents collect various ions and exchange them, or deposit them in empty spaces. "pH" (the power of hydrogen) and the Electromagnetic Force controls the process.

The Electromotive Force Series (EMF series) is a metal's ranking

in respect to inherent reactivity.

The metals located at the top of the series are considered the most noble, with the highest level of positive electrochemical potential. The metal that can be found at the bottom is the most active and contains the highest amount of negative electrochemical potential.

This series is helpful in determining the tendency of a metal to release energy and corrode.

Single-replacement reactions only occur when the element that is doing the replacing is more reactive than the element that is being replaced. Therefore, it is useful to have a list of elements in order of their relative reactivity. The activity series is a list of elements in decreasing order of their reactivity. Since metals replace other metals, while nonmetals replace other nonmetals, they each have a separate activity series.

Elements react differently in different circumstances.

Oxidation vs. Reduction

Reduction and oxidation occur simultaneously in a chemical reaction called a reduction-oxidation or redox reaction.

The oxidized ion loses electrons, while the reduced ion gains electrons.

Despite the name, oxygen need not be present in an oxidation reaction.

Because of these reactions Natural Batteries are in operation all over.



what was being petrified: Animals

Mostly Bone, teeth, antler and horn, are important elemental storage sites in animals. These tissues contain necessary elements, both major, such as calcium (Ca), phosphorus (P), magnesium (Mg) and sulphur (S), and trace elements, such as iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), manganese (Mn) and cadmium (Cd).

Plants and OrganicMaterial. ~ 95% Water!

www.cliffsnotes.com/study-guides/biology/plant-biology/mineral-nutrition/essential-elements
Over 95 percent of the dry weight of a flowering plant is made up of three elements—carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen—taken from the air and water. The remaining 5 percent of the dry weight comes from chemicals absorbed from the soil. Roots absorb the chemicals present in their surroundings, but only 14 of the elements absorbed are necessary for plant growth.

www.clemson.edu/public/regulatory/ag-srvc-lab/soil-testing/pdf/plant-nutrient-levels.pdf
There are sixteen (16) elements that have been established as essential for the optimal
growth of chlorophyll-containing plants. These elements have been divided into two
groups, nine (9) as major elements [carbon (C), hydrogen (H), oxygen (O), nitrogen (N),
phosphorus (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), and sulfur (S)], since they
are found in relatively high (>1.00%) concentrations in the plant, and seven (7) elements as
micronutrients [boron (B), chlorine (Cl), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn),
molybdenum (Mo), and zinc (Zn)], since they are found in relatively small (<0.1%)
concentrations in the plant. Three of the major elements, carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, are
combined in the process called “photosynthesis” (H2O + CO2 in the presence of light and
chlorophyll = C6H12O6 + O2) forming the carbohydrate structure of the plant, hydrogen (H)
coming from water (H2O) and carbon (C) and oxygen (O) coming from carbon dioxide
(CO2) in the air. These three elements constitute 90 to 95% of the dry matter content of
most plants.
2. Major Mineral Elements
There are 6 essential major mineral plant nutrient elements, [nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P),
potassium (K), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), sulfur (S)], that constitute in total between 5
to 10% of the dry weight of most plants.

SO, what elements are in the area available for petrifying, and where are they on the charts?

Each area is different because of impacts that occurred there long ago.


Where are the ground waters on the pH scale?

pH

---

---

---

---

Did you notice SiO2 hasn't been mentioned?

SiO2 can be dissolved, BUT not in quantity, and then only in high pH solutions containing a LOT of magnesium and/or potassium to become "water glass."

And yet we have huge amounts of items petrified with SiO2!

That is because

SiO2 mainly enters solution in a different process.

[Admin]

More information

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petrifaction
In geology, petrifaction or petrification (from Ancient Greek: πέτρα, romanized: pétra, lit. 'rock, stone') is the process by which organic material becomes a fossil through the replacement of the original material and the filling of the original pore spaces with minerals. Petrified wood typifies this process, but all organisms, from bacteria to vertebrates, can become petrified (although harder, more durable matter such as bone, beaks, and shells survive the process better than softer remains such as muscle tissue, feathers, or skin). Petrifaction takes place through a combination of two similar processes: permineralization and replacement. These processes create replicas of the original specimen that are similar down to the microscopic level.[1]

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Permineralization
Permineralization is a process of fossilization in which mineral deposits form internal casts of organisms. Carried by water, these minerals fill the spaces within organic tissue. Because of the nature of the casts, permineralization is particularly useful in studies of the internal structures of organisms, usually of plants.[1]
Contents

1 Process
1.1 Silicification
1.2 Carbonate mineralization
1.3 Pyritization
2 Scientific implications
3 Examples of permineralization
4 References

Process

Permineralization, a type of fossilization, involves deposits of minerals within the cells of organisms. Water from the ground, lakes, or oceans seeps into the pores of organic tissue and forms a crystal cast with deposited minerals. Crystals begin to form in the porous cell walls. This process continues on the inner surface of the walls until the central cavity of the cell, the lumen, is completely filled. The cell walls themselves remain intact surrounding the crystals.[2][need quotation to verify]
Silicification

In silicification, the weathering of rocks releases silicate minerals and the silica makes its way into a body of still water. Eventually, the mineral-laden water permeates the pores and cells of some dead organism, where it becomes a gel. Over time, the gel will dehydrate, forming an opaline crystal structure that is an internal cast of the organism. This accounts for the detail found in permineralization. Silicification reveals information about what type of environment the organism was likely to have lived in. Most fossils that have been silicified are bacteria, algae, and other plant life. Silicification is the most common type of permineralization.[3]
Carbonate mineralization
Main article: Coal ball
A coal ball

Carbonate mineralization involves the formation of coal balls. Coal balls are the fossilizations of many different plants and their tissues. They often occur in the presence of seawater or acidic peat. Coal balls are calcareous permineralizations of peat by calcium and magnesium carbonates. Often spherical in shape and ranging from a few grams to several hundred kilograms in mass, coal balls are formed when water containing carbonate permeates the cells of an organism. This type of fossilization yields information about plant life in the Upper Carboniferous Period (325 to 280 million years ago).[4]
Pyritized ammonite of the genus Lytoceras in Holzmaden Shale
Pyritization

This method involves the elements sulfur and iron. Organisms may become pyritized when they are in marine sediments saturated with iron sulfides. (Pyrite is iron sulfide.) As organic matter decays it releases sulfide which reacts with dissolved iron in the surrounding waters. Pyrite replaces carbonate shell material due to an undersaturation of carbonate in the surrounding waters. Some plants become pyritized when they are in a clay terrain, but to a lesser extent than in a marine environment. Some pyritized fossils include Precambrian microfossils, marine arthropods and plants.[5][6]
Scientific implications

Permineralized fossils preserve original cell structure, which can help scientists study an organism at the cellular level. These are three-dimensional fossils, which create permanent molds of internal structures. The mineralization process itself helps prevent tissue compaction, which distorts the actual size of organs. A permineralized fossil will also reveal much about the environment an organism lived in and the substances found in it since it preserves soft body parts. This helps researchers investigate the plants, animals, and microbes of different time periods.
Examples of permineralization
Polished section of petrified wood showing annual rings.

Most dinosaur bones are permineralized.
Petrified wood: Permineralization is the first step in petrification. In petrification, the cellulose cell walls are completely replaced by minerals.
Some examples of soft-bodied pyritization are Beecher's Trilobite Bed (Ordovician) and the Hunsrück Slate (Devonian)