State Stone and Soil

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Petrified wood from Mississippi. Eocene Age (34-56 million years old)

Dunn-Seiler Museum #PL709

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Close up of petrified wood as seen on display in the original, physical exhibit in 2017.

Dunn-Seiler Museum

STATE STONE
PETRIFIED WOOD 

Designated as State Stone in 1976.

Petrified wood is a plant fossil in which the cells of the wood have been replaced by minerals, usually silica. Fossilized wood comes in a variety of colors, and can be sectioned and polished to make the original structure more apparent.  Often times, one can still see the original tree rings, cell walls and even the texture of the tree’s bark.  

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This soil was collected in the early 1900's for the Department of Geology and Geography (now the Department of Geosciences) at Mississippi State. The soil derived from wind-blown glacial silt and is Pleistocene in age.

Dunn-Seiler Museum Collection.

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This map of Mississippi shows the extent and location of the Natchez Silt Loam.

(Creative Commons)

STATE SOIL
NATCHEZ SILT LOAM 

Designated as State Soil in 2003.

Natchez silt loam was chosen to represent the soil resources of Mississippi, citing its critical role in the quality of life and economic welfare of all Mississippians.  The soil froms from a complex relationship between thick layers of loess (wind-blown glacial silt deposits) and forest ecosystems.  It has developed, over time, to be a highly fertile, reddish yellow soil that covers approximately 172,000 acres of Mississippi land. 

State Stone and Soil