Petrified Wood Specimen — Fossilized Ancient Timber, Agate-Toned, 14g — Field Find

THE FIND
A petrified wood specimen, 14g — ancient timber mineralized over millions of years into agate-like tones of earth brown, red, gray, and amber. Growth rings and grain patterns preserved in stone. A compact piece of deep geological time.

WHAT WE KNOW
Petrified wood forms through permineralization: buried timber is gradually replaced by silica-rich groundwater, with quartz or chalcedony filling and replacing the organic cellular structure while preserving the wood’s original grain, growth rings, and sometimes bark texture. The agate-like coloration — banded earth tones of brown, red, gray, and amber — reflects the specific trace minerals present during fossilization. This specimen weighs 14g. Locality not independently verified.

THE STORY
Petrified wood is one of the most legible fossils — the wood grain is immediately recognizable even after millions of years of mineral replacement. The process preserves cellular detail at a microscopic level: a cross-section can show the same growth ring structure as a living tree, translated entirely into stone. This smaller specimen carries the same geological record as a larger piece — the scale changes, the story doesn’t.

WHY WE CHOSE IT
The agate-like coloration on this piece is warm and varied — the mineral replacement has produced a range of tones that make it visually interesting beyond the wood grain alone. At 14g it’s a pocket or desk piece: small enough to handle easily, specific enough to be worth examining closely.

ABOUT THIS PIECE
Type: Petrified wood (silicified fossil timber)
Weight: 14g
Locality: Not independently verified
Condition: Natural fossil specimen — please review photographs for grain detail, color, and natural variation.
Quantity: 1 — one of a kind.