When wood and plant material is buried, circulating waters sometimes deposit fine-grained quartz in the cells (silicification), forming a hard rock in which the plant’s original structure can be seen. There has been considerable silicification of plant material in the Coromandel area, producing a silica-rich rock known as Manaia stone.
Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi
Te Ara - The Encyclopedia of New Zealand
Photograph by Alastair McLean
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