Petrified wood, also known as a petrified tree (from Ancient Greek πέτρα meaning 'rock' or 'stone'; literally 'wood turned into stone'), is the name given to a particular type of fossilized wood, the fossilized remains of terrestrial vegetation. Petrifaction is the result of a tree or tree-like plant having been replaced by stone via a mineralization process that often includes permineralization and replacement. 
The organic materials making up cell walls have been replicated with minerals (mainly silica in opal, chalcedony, or quartz). In some instances, it may partially retain the original structure of the stem tissue. Unlike other plant fossils, which are typically impressions or compressions, petrified wood is a three-dimensional representation of the original organic material.
The petrifaction process occurs underground when wood becomes buried in water-saturated sediment or volcanic ash. The presence of water reduces the availability of oxygen which inhibits aerobic decomposition by bacteria and fungi. Mineral-laden water flowing through the deposits may lead to permineralization, which occurs when minerals precipitate out of solution filling the interiors of cells and other empty spaces. During replacement, the plant's cell walls act as a template for mineralization. There needs to be a balance between the decay of cellulose and lignin and mineral templating for cellular detail to be preserved with fidelity. Most of the organic matter often decomposes; however, some of the lignin may remain. In the form of opal-A, silica can encrust and permeate wood relatively quickly in hot spring environments. However, petrified wood is most commonly associated with trees buried in fine-grained sediments of deltas and floodplains or volcanic lahars and ash beds.
This beautiful crystal brings wisdom, luck, Grounding, and Strength to start a new career, 
 
14in x 11 inches.