We have all walked through the forests in the fall when the leaves have begun their change from green into reds, oranges, and yellows.  It is an experience of color that many cherish and look forward to each year.  This fall, we invite you to celebrate the changing of the seasons with a journey to a different kind of forest, one where the trees are no longer living, but where they are just as colorful!

We hope you will join us on a journey millions of years into the forests of the past with an exhibit featuring the beauty of petrified wood.  Marvel at the range of color captured in these magnificent crystalline specimens as you explore the science and the art of paleontology.

What is Petrified Wood?

Petrified wood is a type of fossil in which all the organic material of the wood has been replaced by minerals that have retained the original structure of the wood.  The petrification process occurs underground, when wood becomes buried under sediment and is initially preserved due to lack of oxygen.  Mineral-rich water flowing through the sediment deposits minerals in the plant's cells and as the plant's lignin and cellulose decay away, a stone mold forms in its place.  The different elements in the water, such as manganese, iron, and copper, produce a stunning array of colors in the petrified wood.

Did You Know?

Everyone knows that a 25th anniversary is symbolized by silver and a 50th by gold, but did you know that wood is the traditional symbol for a 5th anniversary?  To celebrate Museum of the Earth's fifth anniversary this fall, we're celebrating with an exhibit all about petrified wood!

This exhibit made possible with support from Elmira Savings Bank