Petrified Wood Specimen — Fossilized Ancient Timber, Grain Detail Visible, 28g — Field Find

THE FIND
A petrified wood specimen, 28g — ancient timber replaced by silica-rich minerals over millions of years, with the original wood grain structure preserved in stone. Earthy tones of brown, red, and gray from trace minerals absorbed during fossilization. A piece of deep time in a compact form.

WHAT WE KNOW
Petrified wood forms through a process called permineralization: when a tree is buried under sediment and cut off from oxygen, silica-rich groundwater percolates through the wood, gradually replacing the organic material with quartz or chalcedony while preserving the cellular structure. The result is stone that retains the grain patterns, growth rings, and sometimes bark texture of the original tree. Color variations — browns, reds, grays, blacks, and occasional ambers — reflect the specific trace minerals present in the groundwater during fossilization. This specimen weighs 28g. Locality not independently verified.

THE STORY
Petrified wood is among the most legible fossils — the wood grain is immediately recognizable even after millions of years of mineral replacement. The process that produces it is slow enough to preserve cellular detail at a microscopic level, which means a cross-section of petrified wood can show the same growth ring structure as a living tree, translated entirely into stone. It is, in the most literal sense, a tree that became a rock without losing its identity.

WHY WE CHOSE IT
The grain detail on this specimen is visible and clear — you can read the wood in the stone. At 28g it’s a compact piece that works as a desk specimen, a collection anchor, or a tactile introduction to fossil geology for anyone new to the subject.

ABOUT THIS PIECE
Type: Petrified wood (silicified fossil timber)
Weight: 28g
Locality: Not independently verified
Condition: Natural fossil specimen — please review photographs for grain detail, color, and natural variation.
Quantity: 1 — one of a kind.