A few rotten wood samples were collected to check the effect on chatoyance.
This Kiwi sample (the upper half is rotten) seems to be substantially unaffected:
On the other hand, this Acacia Melanoxylon sample reveals a much higher chatoyance in sound wood:
This Acacia Melanoxylon log had a dead core:
Samples from this log gives the same results:
Obviously, the dead core looks very different from the sound section (both samples are from the same log chunk):
These sumac samples changed from golden to brown color in the rotten sections, but apparently their chatoyance was not affected; each sample is shown as animated gif followed by a chatoyance map where brighter means more chatoyant:
Sample 1:
Sample 2:
Sample 3:
Sample 4:
Sample 5: