When you think of being a rock hound, you might not think of petrified wood right off the bat. However, petrified wood is a very nice find for any rock hound!

Well, petrified wood is wood that has turned to stone. The wood does this through a process that is known as per mineralization. This is when the organic materials in the wood have been replaced with minerals, such as quartz. When this happens, the wood retains its original shape. This is a really, really cool type of fossil, and the petrified wood often looks just like the real thing! It is usually brown like a real tree, but has been found to be grey and sometimes even green in color. Petrified wood is usually found underground.

Petrified is a unique type of fossil, because it is an actual 3D dimensional representation of the tree. The wood is petrified when wood is buried underground and suffers a loss of oxygen. Wood usually takes less than a hundred years to petrify, and there are entire woods that are made up of petrified wood. These are called petrified forests. There are petrified forests in the USA, in such states as California, Mississippi, Arizona, and Washington, and also in Australia, Greece, and the Ukraine.

Petrified wood is used in so many different ways. It is used in jewelry, and many people believe that it actually has healing qualities. It is used in home decor and crafts, and is of course, displayed in many, many museums. It is pretty common, and can make for a beautiful addition to any rock hounds collection!

Related articles

• Petrified Wood History (rockhounds.org)
• Petrified Wood Colors (rockhounds.org)
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Quartz crystal is a natural, durable mineral that occurs in many different varieties. The prismatic, transparent, virtreous, and elongate from Arkansas are the best know quartz crystals. World-renowned for crystal production, in 1976 quartz crystal became the official State Mineral of Arkansas.

The quartz crystals located in the Ouachita Mountains of Arkansas have been well known since humans first occupied the area. Early Native Americans chipped the quartz crystals into sharp points for use as weapons. The main area where quartz crystal was initially sourced was the Crystal Mountains in Montgomery County. Crystal was also being mined from Garland and Saline County by the 1890’s. Early miners had few legal hurdles or restrictions on their mining operations, even though most of the crystal deposits were on private or Government land.

The largest quartz crystal veins show up in Paleozoic shales and sandstones, with those found in shale having more milky deposits with less of the well-developed clear crystals. Those found in sandstone can be in sheets, stockworks, or veins. Sandstone deposits usually have less quartz overall, but have clear crystal in higher percentages compared to shale.

The Crystal and Blakely Mountain Sandstones are where most of the collectible type quartz crystal in obtained. However, some very attractive quartz crystal can be found in any of the Paleozoic units.

Quartz crystals have been attractive to humans from the earliest man to modern times. With their intricate beauty and variety the quartz crystals of Arkansas will continue to provide excitement well into our future.

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Trilobites were in abundance during the Paleozoic era particularly around 540 million years ago during the Ordovician and Cambrian periods where large numbers flourished in the oceans. The trilobite families continued to grow until the Late Cambrian when some type of event wiped out a large number. During the end of Ordovician, ice sheets spread toward the equator during a great ice age. This ice age removed many more of the Trilobite families.

Those trilobite families that were able to survive into the Silurian era had transformed into exotic and new forms, and became even more exotic looking during the Devonian era. The rising seas during the Devonian era caused havoc on the trilobite reef system habitat and forced them into forced selective adaptation.

Only one trilobite order survived the mass extinction of the Devonian era. Though the Carboniferous era only saw the Proteus trilobite order survived, this one order branched off and evolved to form similar appearances to the trilobites that fell to extinction. Even with this adaptation trilobites were not able to recover to previous numbers during the Carboniferous era, and only a small number were able to survive into the Permian era. This was mostly due to the trilobites’ failure to adapt to new deep-water environments. They also proved unable to handle the dramatic climate changes, and basically disappeared during a mass extinction as the Permian era closed. There are some modern insects that have similar characteristics to trilobites that have been labeled as trilobite imposters.

Related articles

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A lot of rock hounds enjoy prospecting for gold, and finding semi-precious gemstones as a hobby. It’s easy, it’s cheap, and you can find some beautiful treasures. But, every great once in a while, you can do so much more than that. Every so often, regular Joes and Jane’s can find an amazing, museum quality mineral specimen.

The specimens of Mother Nature are more beautiful and breathtaking than anything that man can create. These are not your regular, everyday specimens. Museum quality specimens are held to a much higher standard, and are among some of the world’s most beautiful sights.

Museum quality specimens have a standard of being consistently beautiful and of consistent quality. Museum quality mineral specimens are usually judged and rated on the following criteria:

    Beauty, aesthetics and overall balance

    Perfection of crystal quality, sharpness and form

    Color and clarity (if applicable)

    Lack of damage

    Color and/or texture contrast

If a specimen scores highly on these aspects, it can definitely be considered museum quality. Not to mention, specimens that are extremely beautiful or artistic can be considered museum quality just for the artistic qualities.

Sometimes the pure beauty and aesthetics of the mineral specimens can be overwhelming. It is sometimes hard to believe that these beauties were created by Mother Nature and Mother Nature alone. It is hard to believe that with all the man made beauty that you can find in our world today, that the museum quality mineral specimens that you will see will not only rival them, but often surpass them! It is hard to believe that something so beautiful can be found deep within the dirt and rocks of the Earth!

You can find mineral specimens in museums all over the world, and each one is unique and breathtaking in it’s own right. I would advise all rock hounds to visit a museum and take a look at some of the world’s most beautiful minerals at least once! It will leave you inspired and motivated to see what kind of beautiful treasures you can find!

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It is no secret that the price of gold these days is through the roof. Panning for gold has always been an interesting and exciting hobby, but these days, it can be a lucrative hobby as well! 

Gold Panning has been around for a long time, and it is still popular today! Gold Panning is the act of using a pan to separate the gold from the dirt, rocks, etc. that you will

find in the ground. So, how exactly do you start panning for gold? 

First of all, you have to know where to look. Remember that gold is much heavier than rock, so the gold will move downstream near the bottom, usually getting stuck in sand or rocks in slow moving water. Take a few extra minutes to make sure that you are in a place that gold has been found before,  because you don’t want to waste all your time for nothing! 

The concept is pretty simple. Gold is so heavy, when you use a pie shaped pan, the dirt, rocks, debris, etc.. will be washed away and the gold will sink to the bottom. By using the proper agitation, and swishing the pan around, you will be left with gold in the bottom of the pan. You then use a small “sucker” bottle to suck up the small pieces of gold! 

It certainly isn’t HARD to pan for gold, but it does take a bit of practice, especially when learning how much force it takes to agitate the rocks, etc. You don’t want to use too much force or your gold will wash out. Too little force can leave you with lots of yucky debris to dig through! 

Gold panning can be a fun, and sometimes, very rewarding hobby! It is great for couples, and even for kids! Just remember to be patient, and you will have a great time panning for gold!

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Okay, rock hounds! For all of you beginners out there, we are going to talk a little bit today about the different types of semi precious gemstones. These gemstones are some of the most beautiful in the world, and any of them make for a great and exciting discovery for any rock hound!

What exactly IS a semi precious gemstone? Well, the definition is really a broad one. The definition is actually more about what a semi precious gemstone is NOT. A semi precious gemstone is any of the world’s colored gemstones that are NOT diamond, ruby, sapphire, or emerald. Even though the entire world of gemstones is referred to as “semi-precious”, there are some extremely rare, extremely beautiful and extremely valuable gemstones just waiting to be found!

Gemstones can be found in so very many colors, textures and styles. Some of them are used for birthstones, jewelry, home decor and more. Some of them even have folklore and legends surrounding them! Peridot for example, was used by the ancient Romans to cure depression, protect from evil, and provide restful sleep. Topaz has a mythical history of being able to make men more handsome (!), chase away sadness, and even turn a pot of boiling water cold! And, my personal favorite, turquoise, used to be used in the 13th century by horse riders. They believed that by wearing it, the horse and riders would be prevented from falling.

Besides the more common gemstones that we all already know, there are some beautiful gemstones that are less common. Bloodstone, Fluorite, Howlite, and Jasper are some of these. While they are less commonly known than the other gemstones, some of them are the most beautiful you will ever see!

Now that you know a little bit more about semi precious gemstones, get out there and start digging!

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The word, tо petrify, literally means, “turn tо stone.” Petrified wood, then, iѕ wood thаt hаѕ turnеd tо stone. The English word iѕ similar tо thе Greek (piedra) аnd Latin (pietra) words fоr stone.

Petrified wood iѕ а fossil оf а woody plant preserved by permineralization thrоugh time by chemical аnd physical processes. In somе cases, fossilized wood iѕ readily identifiable. Generally, thе species cаn bе determined by examining thin slices оf thе fossil undеr а microscope. The microscopic structure оf thе fossilized wood iѕ thеn compared tо thе cellular structure оf living species.

How cаn І tеll if І havе а valuable piece?

- Attributes thаt add value
- Bright pretty colors
- Many colors іn thе sаme stone
- Grain patterns shоw up distinctly
- The stone iѕ transparent
- The wood iѕ Opalized оr Agatized
- The bark pattern shоws up distinctly
- Interesting thіngs lіke worm-holes, branching, druzzy, etc
- The entire rоund iѕ intact

Attributes thаt detract frоm value

- Dull colors
- Little оr nо wood grain
- Opaque stone
- Cracks іn thе stone
- No visual clues tо mаkе it stand out aѕ wood
- Composed оf chalky оr muddy material
- Only partially petrified

While collectors оf natural history enjoy examples оf thе materials іn аll forms, petrified wood appears alѕo іn thе form оf carvings оn thе smаll аnd lаrgе scales. At а Bonhams & Butterfields natural history іn Los Angeles, CA, а petrified wood alligator carving achieved $8,225 іn January 2005. On thе larger scale, а full size chair carved frоm thе Triassic Chinle Formation оf petrified wood іn Arizona wаs expected tо fetch betwееn $11,000 аnd $12,500 аt thе sаmе auction house.

It consists оf fossil wood wherе аll thе organic materials havе bееn replaced wіth minerals whіle retaining thе original structure оf thе wood. The petrifaction process occurs underground, whеn wood bеcomes buried undеr sediment аnd iѕ initially preserved due tо а lack оf oxygen. Mineral-rich water flowing thrоugh thе sediment deposits minerals іn thе plant’s cells аnd aѕ thе plant’s lignin аnd cellulose decay away, а stone mould forms іn itѕ placе.

Elements such aѕ manganese, iron аnd copper іn thе water/mud durіng thе petrification process gіvе petrified wood а variety оf color ranges. Pure quartz crystals arе colorless, but whеn contaminants arе added tо thе process thе crystals takе оn а yellow, red оr othеr tint. Following iѕ а list оf minerals аnd related color hues:

Copper – green/blue
Cobalt – green/blue
Chromium – green/blue
Manganese – pink
Carbon – black
Iron Oxides – red, brown, yellow
Manganese Oxides – black
Silica – white, grey
Petrified Fern Log slices frоm Brazil originating frоm thе Tietea singularis fern thаt flourished іn thе Permian Age 180-205 million yеаrs agо.

Indonesia Petrified Wood іn Indonesia hаѕ thе largest deposit оf petrified wood іn thе world, larger thаn Brazil, Arizona оr evеn China. Indonesian Petrified Wood iѕ frоm ancient teak (hardwood) trees thаt turnеd tо stone. The petrified wood iѕ frоm trees approximately 20 million yеarѕ old. Minerals prеsеnt іn thе mud аnd water prior tо аnd durіng thе petrification process leached intо thе wood giving it color.

Eventually, thе mineral forms а perfect copy оf thе original substance, including cell structure аnd fibers. The replacement mineral iѕ usuаlly а variety оf quartz, ordinarily оf thе chalcedony type. Sometimes it iѕ opal, calcite (calcium carbonate), оr carnotite, а source оf uranium. This process results іn stone lіke structures thаt arе oftеn quіtе beautiful, exhibiting vivid blues, greens, reds, browns, yellows аnd pinks, depending оn thе presence оf vаrious chemical elements. Petrified wood аnd petrified forests arе tо bе fоund аll ovеr thе world, thоugh thе forests оf Argentina, Australia, China, Belgium аnd Brazil arе particulаrly noteworthy deposits.

Petrified wood uѕually iѕ vеry hard. It mаy bе beautifully colored by chemical impurities such aѕ iron аnd copper. Cut аnd polished petrified wood iѕ usеd fоr jewelry, paperweights, аnd lamp bases.

The rate оf petrifaction iѕ nоt exаctly knоwn. In sоme caѕеs it mаy bе fаіrly rapid. For example, mіnе timbers hаve bееn partly petrified aftеr а fеw years’ exposure tо mineral-laden water. Most petrified wood wаs formed lоng agо. For instance, stone logs іn Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona, arе оf thе Triassic Period аnd morе thаn 160,000,000 yеarѕ old.

Petrified forests arе fоund іn variouѕ pаrts оf thе world. They wеrе formed іn diffеrеnt geologic periods аnd thе trees іn eаch onе arе thе kіnd thаt grew durіng thе period оf itѕ formation. Perhaps thе oldеst petrified forest іn thе United States iѕ thаt оf Devonian trees nеar Gilboa, New York. There iѕ аn abundance оf petrified wood іn Yellowstone National Park, including а fеw vеry rare upright fossilized tree trunks. Gingko Petrified Forest iѕ а statе park іn Washington. Deposits оf petrified wood arе alѕo fоund іn California, New Mexico, аnd Utah.

            They can be classified many different ways.  A simple classification breaks fossils into two types. 

            Type I:  Any remains or imprint left from a plant or animal.  These can include bones, feathers, teeth, hair, skin, shell or the impressions left by any of these.

            Type II:  Anything made by an animal while living, that has hardened.  This includes footprints, burrows and coprolite.

            Fossils are formed through various means.  In general an organism needs to be at the right place at the right time to become a fossil.  The processes vary, but circumstances have to be right for a fossil to be formed and last until discovery.  Lets look at some ways fossils are formed. 

            One way is by freezing.  Although rare it is the best means of preservation.  Due to the fact that the specimen must remain frozen, it is largely only cold hardy animals that are preserved this way.                      A second method is called desiccation.  This is typically found in arid regions of the world.  An animal or human that has been mummified and thoroughly dried out can be well preserved.  Soft tissues such as skin and organs have been found to be intact in some cases.

            The next process comes from asphalt or tar.  Asphalt is an excellent preservative.  Many Pleistocene fossils have been pulled from tar pits including animals, plants, even seeds.

            Amber is something usually prized for its beauty, but it helps form fossils as well.  The sap from certain trees oozes out and can trap insects and the like.  The sap hardens and a fossil is formed.  Perfectly the organism inside is preserved.

            The most common method for forming fossils is called permineralization.  This occurs when minerals fill the cellular space of an organism and crystallize.  The shape of the animal or plant is then preserved as rock.

            One last way is called carbonization or distillation.  This is after an organism dies and all that is left is carbon.  The carbon leaves an impression on the rock leaving a detailed outline of the a fore mentioned organism.

            Fossils have long captured the attention of young and old alike.  For those who are avid collector are novice enthusiasts, you are sure to find what you are looking for here at RockHounds.org.

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