I am reading on the petrification process. I found that there are two processes which are permineralization and replacement. I am not sure I fully comprehend the difference between them. I wonder if someone could explain them to me in simple terms.
Am I right to understand that permineralization is where the minerals replace the space where the bones of animal (for examples) reside making a cast of what the organism looks like while replacement replaces the bones of that animal on a molecular level where each molecule of the the organism's bones are replacement by a molecule from the mineral i.e. the replacement process is transforming/converting the bones into another substance. Also do the molecules of bones cease to exist after they are replaced?
Thanks for your time.