Marbled with rich garnet, amber, and gold tones, a collection of petrified wood embellishes the slope alongside the Ho Science Center. Shining with a glossy luster, the pieces almost seem like man-made sculptures \u2014 but they are millions-of-years-old geological wonders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Petrified Woods exhibition, presented by the Robert M. Linsley Geology Museum and geology department, began showing this spring. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Petrification occurs when trees and woody vegetation are buried in mud or volcanic ash. Over thousands of years, mineral-rich waters infuse the wood. Its cells are slowly replaced by silica, which hardens into opal or quartz. \u201cThe colors of each piece of wood come from impurities of metals, like iron, manganese, and cobalt,\u201d explains Rich April, the Dunham Beldon Jr. Professor of geology emeritus. He and Di Keller, senior lecturer in geology, are the Linsley curators who coordinated the exhibition. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
For April, the standout specimen is a black beauty from the island of Java in Indonesia. Buried in the ash of a volcanic eruption approximately 20 million years ago, the mostly black tree trunk is now lined with white stripes of pure silica. He calls the piece \u201csheer magnificence.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Keller\u2019s favorite is a 700-pound fossil stump from 385 million years ago. It was discovered in Gilboa, N.Y., (only approximately 75 miles east of Colgate) in \u201cthe oldest known petrified forest,\u201d as described in 1927 by Winifred Goldring, the first woman in the United States to be appointed as a state paleontologist. \u201cThere\u2019s just something about the textures on it, and there\u2019s an iridescent play of colors in some areas because of different minerals that are oxidizing out,\u201d Keller says. \u201cAnd I love the story of it too,\u201d she adds, referring to Goldring\u2019s accomplishments as a female geologist. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Also in the exhibition: three brown and tan slices from Madagascar, as well as 11 pieces from lands surrounding Arizona\u2019s Petrified Forest National Park. \u201cMost of the rainbow-colored petrified wood that you see in the United States comes from that area,\u201d April says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
He and Keller began organizing the exhibition last spring when they realized University museums would likely be closed for a while due to the pandemic. On the heels of Linsley\u2019s Bicentennial exhibition, Petrified Woods began taking shape. As new trees were being planted on campus in preparation for Colgate\u2019s third century, this exhibition represented \u201ca lasting forest,\u201d Keller notes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In addition, \u201cit seemed appropriate to have an exhibit that would show Colgate\u2019s beauty and perseverance through some very difficult times,\u201d April says. The two put the finishing touches on the exhibition in November \u2014 just in time for snow to blanket campus and cover their hard work. But, this spring, as the snow melted, the creations gradually began to show themselves. April says: \u201cIt\u2019s making its debut by nature\u2019s hand.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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