How Would Organic Material Erode If Petrified

Question

So in my world, the main Antagonist has the ability to drain the life from things around her, turning them to stone in the process. That made me wonder how organic material would erode if it were petrified.

As an example, this antagonist lives in a forest turned entirely to stone—including all living organisms within: animals, insects, fungi, bacteria, etc. So anything that could naturally disturb or break down the trees and remains is gone. The only thing left to affect them is weather such as rain or hail, wind and lightning; plus thermal patterns like freezing and expansion from seasonal changes.

To give some clarification on a few things:

• The forest is in a valley between 2 mountain ranges.
• Seasonal changes do occur; the region is similar to the continental Mid U.S.
• People and animals don't go in this region except through specific paths.
• The remains are similar in density to sandstone, or other soft, porous rock.

Lastly, I was wondering about the scope and scale of this.

What time period would the forest decay over, and what would happen to the debris from the erosion? Could the forest feasibly transform into a desert over the course of about 200 years? Would rain wash much of it away, since there's no longer root structures or living plant matter to bind soil together? Finally, what's a realistic timescale for living organisms like plant matter, or bacteria even, to return to the affected region—if ever?

Answer 1

I don't think that a tree turned to stone could actually keep standing (I might be wrong).

Trees (branches, leaves, fruits) are lightweight as compared to the stone, of course, So once magically they are turned to stone, It's trunk must not be able to hold onto its weight. So, the trees will fall, maybe instantly or in a few hours or days depending upon their trunk size.

So, assuming that the tress will fall, they will actually fall on the petrified life-forms, deers, pigs, or whatever is below them, crushing them into nothingness. Hence your antagonist will actually be living in a rumble, instead of a jungle. So the removal of a recognizable jungle will actually be a lot faster then you have imagined.

If nothing else, at least the leaves will fall, their connection to the branches are too week. In this case, all the trees will look like after Autumn, and whatever standing below them, crushed by the rain of rock-leaves.

(I originally intended this to be a comment, but then it became too long.)

Answer 2

Rocks will erode as rocks do: rain, thermal cycles between day/night and summer/winter will slowly crack the rock and living organisms will slowly reduce it to smaller particles. That's how we have lost a lot of fossils.

Lichens will probably be the first to grow on the rocks, like they do on freshly formed volcanic rocks after volcanic eruptions.

Then, if the region is rainy enough, moss will follow and then more evolved plants. The whole process will take just few years. With the plants also animals will start move in.

Being a valley and not an island in the middle of the ocean, biotic colonization will be much easier.

Answer 3

There are some weird things going to happen in that uncanny valley of yours.

It seems that your Antagonist does not need to choose those things that will turn to stone, just anything within her zone of influence.

If the zone of influence is roughly spherical, every mote of life is turned to rocks - so birds will fall out of the sky when they move into her Zone of influence. I'm guessing she has the ability to avoid falling stone birds.

As there will be no life - there will be no moss or anything else. The main eroding forces will be wind, rain, and freeze. The forest will not be turned to sandy desert in 200 years, but will have stumps and rubble everywhere. It will be a desert in the true meaning, as soon as your antagonist resides there - as there will be no life (it will be deserted of life apart from your antagonist).

I'm assuming that your antagonist doesn't need to eat organic matter to survive, right? Otherwise it's going to be a rather fast starvation....

I guess there's also a problem if the antagonist themselves is organic - as most organic multicellular organisms are really communities of organic beings - it would be very unhealthy if every time one cast a spell, all the bacteria in one's body turned to stone.