Petrified wood where to find it

Unlike other types of fossils which are typically impressions or compressions, petrified wood is a three-dimensional representation of the original organic material. The petrifaction process occurs underground, when wood becomes buried under sediment or volcanic ash and is initially preserved due to a lack of oxygen which inhibits aerobic decomposition. The organic matter needs to become petrified before it decomposes completely.

A forest where such material has petrified becomes known as a petrified forest. Petrified wood is a fossil in which the organic remains have been replaced by minerals in the slow process of being replaced with stone. This petrification process generally results in a quartz chalcedony mineralization. Special rare conditions must be met in order for the fallen stem to be transformed into fossil wood or petrified wood. In general, the fallen plants get buried in an environment free of oxygen anaerobic environment , which preserves the original plant structure and general appearance.

The other conditions include a regular access to mineral rich water in contact with the tissues, replacing the organic plant structure with inorganic minerals. The end result is petrified wood, a plant, with its original basic structure in place, replaced by stone. Exotic minerals allow the red and green hues that can be seen in rarer specimens.

The thick portions of white in some pieces of petrified wood are the result of sap drying out. If these sap-like portions are located alongside smooth bark-like regions and red, orange, and tan colors, it's even more likely that your specimen is petrified wood. Run your hand along the wood to check for smooth portions. Look for circular, grainy, and bark-like patterns. If the original cell structure is destroyed due to petrification, you probably won't be able to identify the wood.

Use your naked eye to look for patterns—circles, grains straight or crossed , and anything that resembles bark. If you spot any patterns at all, the cell structure is probably intact and the piece can be identified. Take note of common patterns in their wood and try to spot them in your specimen. Check for growth rings, which are the concentric circles that define wood. Method 2. Check for small round cells or rod-shaped vessels.

Each type of wood contains cells—known as tracheids—that form different patterns. While some are visible at as low as 10x magnification with a magnifying glass, others require up to x with a microscope. Try starting low and moving up in intensity until you can get a feel for the type of cell structures in the wood.

When looking for structures, move across the wood in a circular motion as you would when examining growth rings. Angiosperms walnut, oak, and sycamore have vessels instead of cells. These are not always round and aren't organized into neat rows. Gingko trees have a unique cell formation similar to corn. Examine the thickness and variation of the rays.

Rays are lines formed from small cells that run radially from the center of the tree to the edge of the bark. While some wood types possess thin rays—as little as 1 to 2 cells wide—others have thicker ones. In some cases, these rays exhibit variation in their widths.

Take note of the rays in your petrified wood and compare them to the characteristics of different wood types. One almost unbelievable material from Western Australia is known as " peanut wood " because of its ovoid markings, but those markings are actually boreholes drilled by a clam!

Colorful petrified wood: Petrified wood with spectacular colors and full petrification is highly prized for lapidary work. It can be polished and used to make jewelry and many other crafts. Opalized Wood: A nice piece of opalized wood from Oregon. It is colorful, accepts a bright polish, and shows excellent wood grain.

This specimen measures about 3 inches across. Some of the best specimens of petrified wood have been preserved by silicification. Two forms of silicification are common. The most abundant is wood that has been replaced and infilled by chalcedony sometimes called "agatized wood". The other form is wood that has been infilled and replaced by opal usually called " opalized wood ". Both of these varieties can be called "silicified wood" if you are not certain of their identity.

These materials can have a similar appearance that requires testing to positively identify. However, if you have experience in geology or gemology, the tests below are very helpful in separating them.

Opalized wood has a lower hardness , a lower refractive index, and a lower specific gravity than chalcedony, as shown in the table below. Lapidary-grade petrified wood: A nice piece of petrified wood suitable for lapidary work. The pore spaces in the wood have been completely silicified, and the piece is relatively free of fractures.

It also has nice color. Petrified wood like this is very hard to find. Specimen is about three inches across. Petrified wood is often used in lapidary work. It is cut into shapes for making jewelry, sawn into blocks to make bookends, sawn into thick slabs to make table tops, and sawn into thin slabs for clock faces.

It can be cut into cabochons or used to make tumbled stones and many other crafts. Small pieces of petrified wood can be placed in a rock tumbler to make tumbled stones.

Only a small fraction of petrified wood is suitable for lapidary work. Poorly preserved specimens, those with lots of voids or closely-spaced fractures do not polish well or break while being worked. Petrified wood forms when trees that die millions of years ago fell and became covered in mud, sand and water.

Over time, minerals seeped into the wood of the trees depositing minerals. Eventually, the wood rotted away and the only the minerals remained. This entire process is called petrification. Unlike other types of fossils which are typically impressions or compressions, petrified wood is a three-dimensional representation of the original organic material. So why do so many people like to collect petrified wood? One of the most popular reasons is because petrified wood is considered a gemstone.

Just like other gemstones , you can polish petrified wood and create things like jewelry and even furniture. In some instances, petrified wood is even considered very valuable and can be sold for quite a profit. There are many places you can find petrified wood. As a matter of fact, there are entire petrified forests. Below I list some of the more popular locations in some of the more popular states in the US to find petrified wood.

You can hunt for and find fossilized wood in your own back yard! The best place to look for fossilized wood in my opinion is in or near water. The best thing to do is to pay attention to the gravel bars, or any other area where there might be a collection of gravel. Take some time and stroll through those areas.