“Petrified wood
Petrified wood (from the Greek root “petro” meaning “rock” or “stone”, literally “wood turned into stone”) is a type of fossil: it consists of fossil wood where all the organic materials have been replaced with minerals (most often a silicate, such as quartz), while retaining the original structure of the wood. The petrifaction process occurs underground, when wood becomes buried under sediment and is initially preserved due to a 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 mould forms in its place.
In general, wood takes less than 100 years to petrify. The organic matter needs to become petrified before it decomposes completely. A forest where the wood has petrified becomes known as a petrified forest.”
That Wiki article attributes the 100 year timeframe to the source “Petrified Forest National Park - Frequently Asked Questions from the U.S. National Park Service”
But if you look at that reference it says “How long does it take wood to petrify? Until we build that time machine, we probably will never know. It is thought by researchers that it took a relatively (geologically) short time due to some features of the logs. There are certain types of petrified wood in the park that actually still contain organic material, including lignin”
There is no mention at all of that 100 year timeframe.
There is no mention at all of that 100 year timeframe.
What we do know for sure... is that it can happen in a mere few days ... that part is known for sure.
Now, I'll have to look up some more information on it, that I know I've read before, but there may be some indication of a time-frame in some natural setting (but mind you, this lab situation could have also happened in a natural setting during some cataclysmic event, too...).
I'll see if I can find that other article.
The main thing to know right now -- is that you can petrify wood in as little as a few days ... and that's pretty significant, all by itself.