Arizona State Fossil

Petrified Wood

(Araucarioxylon arizonicum)

Adopted in 1988.

Petrified Wood, Araucarioxylon arizonicum, is the State Fossil. It was adopted in 1988. Most of the petrified wood in Arizona can be found in the Petrified Forest in northern Arizona. Remnants of giant trees from ancient forests of the Triassic Period over 200 million years old, these logs turned from wood to rock after the trees were buried under layers of sand and silt. In some cases, the microscopic structure of the wood was preserved during the process.

Petrified wood can be seen in the Petrified Forest National Monument located north of I-40 east of Holbrook. The famous fossil wood of Petrified Forest National Park, in Arizona, is of Triassic age (about 200 million years). That fossil wood is a colorful agate.

It is illegal to remove petrified wood from the Petrified Forest National Park. Pieces of petrified wood on sale within the Park and elsewhere come from private land outside the Park.

Taxonomic Hierarchy

Kingdom	Plantae -- Plants
Division	Pteridophyta
Class	Filicopsida –
Order	Coniferales
Family	Uncertain
Genus	Araucarioxylon
Species	Araucarioxylon arizonicum

State Fossils

Most US states have made a state fossil designation, in many cases during the 1980s. It is common to designate one species in which fossilization has occurred, rather than a single specimen, or a category of fossils not limited to a single species.

Some states that lack a "state fossil" have nevertheless singled out a fossil for formal designation such as a state dinosaur, rock, gem or stone.

fossil (fos‧sil)
n.
1. A remnant or trace of an organism of a past geologic age, such as a skeleton or leaf imprint, embedded and preserved in the earth's crust.
2. One, such as a rigid theory, that is outdated or antiquated.

adj.
1. Characteristic of or having the nature of a fossil.
2. Being or similar to a fossil.
3. Belonging to the past; antiquated.

[From Latin fossilis, dug up, from fossus, past participle of fodere, to dig.]

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