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Other Activities => Other Adventures => Topic started by: LDennis24 on November 27, 2022, 12:36:26 AM

Title: Petrified wood and Rockhounding
Post by: LDennis24 on November 27, 2022, 12:36:26 AM: I am curious how many of you collect petrified wood and how many colors and varieties you have found. I found this piece in the Southern Cascades and put it in my aquarium and the plecostomus cleaned it up. It's made of some sort of hard coal or carbon deposit with agatized veins where the cavities in the wood filled with mineral deposits. It's a very cool piece. I have seen pieces from the same area as this with hollow cores filled with crystals much like a geode and a few with gold inside. I have also seen hollow pieces up higher on the mountain that were too large to remove. I still know their location in the creek and don't know how anybody would remove them without getting in trouble from the USFS. I would like to see what everyone else has found! I will get more pics of some other wood types I have found and rare colors.
Title: Re: Petrified wood and Rockhounding
Post by: LDennis24 on November 27, 2022, 12:37:30 AM: Few other angles
Title: Re: Petrified wood and Rockhounding
Post by: boneaddict on November 27, 2022, 06:00:41 AM: We love the stuff. Nice find.
Title: Re: Petrified wood and Rockhounding
Post by: Iveexcaped3 on November 27, 2022, 08:00:00 AM: Find it often, my daughter (6) loves to find rocks and pick them up. When I go on solo hikes I can’t help but to pick some interesting ones up. I think white flint has been the coolest of them.
Title: Re: Petrified wood and Rockhounding
Post by: Born2late on November 27, 2022, 08:08:57 AM: I have a black piece of petrified wood that is about 10” in diameter and was 10” long. I cut it in half and polished both faces so you could see the veins. It was filled with white quartz spots with gold veins next to those. Really cool. I work with stone for a living so I have all the polishing equipment to do it.
Title: Re: Petrified wood and Rockhounding
Post by: boneaddict on November 27, 2022, 08:10:36 AM: Sounds beautiful!
Title: Re: Petrified wood and Rockhounding
Post by: LDennis24 on November 27, 2022, 11:46:57 AM: Yeah I would love to see a pic of it!
Title: Re: Petrified wood and Rockhounding
Post by: carpsniperg2 on November 27, 2022, 01:30:19 PM: I have a chunk of property that gets a bunch of it washed down each spring or uncovered. I pickup an occasional big piece. I prefer to pack stones out that I can knap lol

I let Radsav and his wife come up and grab a bunch. I don’t think his back will ever be the same lol.
Title: Re: Petrified wood and Rockhounding
Post by: KFhunter on November 27, 2022, 01:38:20 PM: I got some big hunks from Arizona
Title: Re: Petrified wood and Rockhounding
Post by: carpsniperg2 on November 27, 2022, 02:24:10 PM: Most all of the ones I have found of the bigger chunks are always lighter colored.
This is one that’s out of the front porch.
Title: Re: Petrified wood and Rockhounding
Post by: Born2late on November 27, 2022, 02:32:36 PM: Here is one side
Title: Re: Petrified wood and Rockhounding
Post by: boneaddict on November 27, 2022, 03:06:11 PM: That is gorgeous

I just took down all my display rocks and up with Christmas displays. When I get them back out I’ll get some pics up.
Title: Re: Petrified wood and Rockhounding
Post by: carpsniperg2 on November 27, 2022, 03:08:15 PM: Thats beautiful
Title: Re: Petrified wood and Rockhounding
Post by: boneaddict on November 27, 2022, 03:12:32 PM: I love the fact there is opalized wood, petrified wood, agatized wood. All classified as P wood. Ranging anywhere from glass to “plastic” to brittle . It’s such cool stuff
Title: Re: Petrified wood and Rockhounding
Post by: slavenoid on November 27, 2022, 03:17:47 PM: I find some big pieces. I can't bring myself to cut them open.
Title: Re: Petrified wood and Rockhounding
Post by: buckcanyonlodge on November 27, 2022, 05:42:05 PM: My son in law gave me this opalized petrified wood. His other Father in law works for a big orchard company and they were digging up a big piece of land to put in more orchards. This was on the ridge above the town of Outlook in the lower Yakima Valley. They uncovered a huge tree at least 100 ft. long. Son in law had a good 10 feet of it and gave me a few chunks. So nice..I attach a few pics.
Title: Re: Petrified wood and Rockhounding
Post by: buckcanyonlodge on November 27, 2022, 05:43:19 PM: more pics
Title: Re: Petrified wood and Rockhounding
Post by: buckcanyonlodge on November 27, 2022, 05:45:20 PM: more pics
Title: Re: Petrified wood and Rockhounding
Post by: boneaddict on November 27, 2022, 06:54:24 PM: I've contemplated helicopter rentals. This one is still buried out there
(https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/v47/boneaddict/45C8414F-C32F-4081-91FD-FE357F8809A4.jpeg)
Title: Re: Petrified wood and Rockhounding
Post by: LDennis24 on November 27, 2022, 07:04:52 PM: Lol! Yeah I know a couple guys who built an inflation saddle to get a rare specimen one time. They had to jam ropes under the log under water and then inflate some inner tubes to bring it up to the surface and float it to the shoreline. It was hollow and filled with crystals so they were not gonna leave it!
Title: Re: Petrified wood and Rockhounding
Post by: Skillet on November 27, 2022, 07:09:41 PM: My great grandparents were rockhounds, and I was lucky enough to be left a few choice pieces through my Great Aunt's estate.

My favorites are these bookends cut from petrified wood, but I have a lot of random pieces. And a few cut garnets you could choke on :chuckle:

If any of you are rockhounds, I strongly recommend a stop at the Waterville Museum (in Waterville on HWY 2). They have one of the best mineral collections in WA, and a special bovine surprise in the basement.
Title: Re: Petrified wood and Rockhounding
Post by: LDennis24 on November 27, 2022, 07:10:35 PM: I've got some big garnets from Idaho. Probably the biggest is almost ping pong ball size. I'll find them and post them.
Title: Re: Petrified wood and Rockhounding
Post by: Alchase on November 27, 2022, 07:44:18 PM: Wow, pretty cool pics!
Where or what type of ground should someone look for petrified wood? I have found a few small pieces in Washington more by accident than any good rock hounding.

Would love to look down here in OK.
Title: Re: Petrified wood and Rockhounding
Post by: Born2late on November 27, 2022, 07:50:51 PM: Been to the Waterville museum. Really cool!
Boneaddict- I would be digging that log up! Wonder if you could make a little wheeled cart that you could load it into like a little mini log trailer that you could tow behind a quad.
I’ve always wanted to slice a piece up and make a bath vanity countertop out of one.think that would be fun to look at
Title: Re: Petrified wood and Rockhounding
Post by: LDennis24 on November 27, 2022, 07:52:55 PM: One of my big Idaho garnets. This one is probably gem quality. Most are not when they get this big. You can make cabochons with really big cracked ones sometimes and get a star out of them. The guy who took me digging has a star garnet the size of a baseball I swear.
Title: Re: Petrified wood and Rockhounding
Post by: buckcanyonlodge on November 27, 2022, 07:55:51 PM: My nephew drew a Silver Dollar elk tag quite a few years ago. I took him. We had permission to hunt the North Ranch located above Sunnyside and ran all the way over to the highway from Yakima to the Silver Dollar restaurant. We parked on the highway and hunted the canyons about a mile or two from the highway. Linda North told us that they had located a "forest" of petrified logs in those canyons. They loaded logs on a flat bed trailer and hauled them to a buyer in New York. They were paid $10,000 per load...they sold quite a few. I located one particular spot where there were petrified logs laying everywhere. One particular 200 pound chunk was white with the grain running through the piece. The grain was black...White with black grain....200# chunk----absolutely beautiful...No way to get it out. I've thought about that canyon quite often.
Title: Re: Petrified wood and Rockhounding
Post by: LDennis24 on November 27, 2022, 07:56:55 PM: Quote from: Born2late on November 27, 2022, 07:50:51 PM
Been to the Waterville museum. Really cool!
Boneaddict- I would be digging that log up! Wonder if you could make a little wheeled cart that you could load it into like a little mini log trailer that you could tow behind a quad.
I’ve always wanted to slice a piece up and make a bath vanity countertop out of one.think that would be fun to look at

Game cart and a buddy! Count me in! We're both about the same size Bone! Can we pick it up with a strap stuffed under it? We could split it! :chuckle:
Title: Re: Petrified wood and Rockhounding
Post by: LDennis24 on November 27, 2022, 08:02:22 PM: Yes all this talk about the Yakima area and the firing range clear to Vantage is spot on. I have seriously been everywhere with my job, even secured area's and very limited access area's. Fiber Optics are my thing and I strive to be the best at what I do. The government uses them for all sorts of monitoring and they also use them for surveillance. This takes me into some cool areas and I have noticed that almost everywhere throughout that region clear to the Ginkgo petrified forest, at the same elevation, you can find petrified wood coming out of the hills. It's everywhere over there. The coolest pieces I have from there are deep red with a moss agate coloring mixed into them. I will find those pieces and post them as well.
Title: Re: Petrified wood and Rockhounding
Post by: LDennis24 on November 27, 2022, 08:05:34 PM: This is a piece of black and chocolate obsidian in my bunk house. Sorry for the cobwebs! I found it on the Palouse while hauling anhydrous ammonia. Drove into the farmers field and saw the black shiny spot from about 200' away. It was chipped off and I grabbed the chip and the boulder and took them home! About basketball size. The professor at Eastern Washington University said there isn't any obsidian in Eastern Washington and that someone must have brought it there... Yeah right
Title: Re: Petrified wood and Rockhounding
Post by: boneaddict on November 27, 2022, 08:22:37 PM: I’ve also found obsidian here. Not that big of a piece. Cool!
Title: Re: Petrified wood and Rockhounding
Post by: Born2late on November 27, 2022, 08:23:27 PM: That obsidian is cool.
Ya , I think if we as hunters can pack an elk or moose out of the worst hole around we should be able to get a petrified log out with a crew of guys. That would be fun just to say we did it.
Title: Re: Petrified wood and Rockhounding
Post by: LDennis24 on November 27, 2022, 08:31:21 PM: Some of the red pieces with the moss agate look in them and the bark edge showing.
Title: Re: Petrified wood and Rockhounding
Post by: LDennis24 on November 27, 2022, 08:32:04 PM: Another piece
Title: Re: Petrified wood and Rockhounding
Post by: LDennis24 on November 27, 2022, 08:36:43 PM: They are very cool pieces. It almost looks like black ink oozing into a clear solution after falling from a dropper. From the Whiskey Dick Creek drainage.
Title: Re: Petrified wood and Rockhounding
Post by: LDennis24 on November 27, 2022, 08:50:07 PM: This is a rough agate from Red Top my six year old son found! He lost his mind after finding this one and is clearly hooked on rock hounding now. He wants to have someone slice it for him.
Title: Re: Petrified wood and Rockhounding
Post by: Skillet on November 27, 2022, 08:55:39 PM: Those are great Ldennis! I wish I got the wet saw my Great Uncle had as well, I have a bunch of geodes I'd like to cut.

That p-wood you have is really unique. I dig the idea of cutting petrified wood into bookends. Especially if you can book match them. They work great, are always on display that way, and functional. One of the greatest and most unique gifts you can give to anybody who has a shelf with books on it, which is mostly everybody.
Title: Re: Petrified wood and Rockhounding
Post by: LDennis24 on November 27, 2022, 08:59:46 PM: Yeah I don't have a wet saw either. I need to invest in one that can cut large pieces. I've seen video of cutting large rocks with aircraft cable and a pulley system made into a saw. It works surprisingly well.
Title: Re: Petrified wood and Rockhounding
Post by: buckcanyonlodge on November 27, 2022, 09:28:31 PM: Find your local rock hounding club and they will usually cut larger size rocks for a small fee....or join the club...
Title: Re: Petrified wood and Rockhounding
Post by: LDennis24 on November 27, 2022, 09:59:46 PM: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.yakimaherald.com/news/local/it-happened-here-petrified-forest-discovered-in-yakima-valley/article_b98cc378-7dbb-11e8-8162-fb4012c176c1.amp.html
Title: Re: Petrified wood and Rockhounding
Post by: slavenoid on November 27, 2022, 10:20:40 PM: Quote from: Alchase on November 27, 2022, 07:44:18 PM
Wow, pretty cool pics!
Where or what type of ground should someone look for petrified wood? I have found a few small pieces in Washington more by accident than any good rock hounding.

Would love to look down here in OK.

I'm no expert but I found a map that showed seismic activity that kind of pointed me to an area. Makes sense that some disturbance churned stuff up and left it up toward the surface.
Title: Re: Petrified wood and Rockhounding
Post by: slavenoid on November 27, 2022, 10:26:29 PM: One of my favorites that sits next to my door. Boring color but crystals running throughout.
Title: Re: Petrified wood and Rockhounding
Post by: LDennis24 on November 27, 2022, 10:57:05 PM: Yeah that's an awesome piece slavenoid!
Title: Re: Petrified wood and Rockhounding
Post by: boneaddict on November 28, 2022, 05:07:37 AM: Whoa, those crystals are cool!

That’s some nice color on that p wood LD. The dendritic pattern is unique as well.
Title: Re: Petrified wood and Rockhounding
Post by: LDennis24 on November 28, 2022, 06:56:43 AM: Thank you, I have some other poorly formed black and white banded p-wood I'll post this evening. It's also from the Palouse in a private spot. Not very common.
Title: Re: Petrified wood and Rockhounding
Post by: KFhunter on November 28, 2022, 08:11:54 AM: Here's a piece I got
Title: Re: Petrified wood and Rockhounding
Post by: Alchase on November 28, 2022, 09:52:58 AM: Quote from: slavenoid on November 27, 2022, 10:26:29 PM
One of my favorites that sits next to my door. Boring color but crystals running throughout.

That is awesome!
Title: Re: Petrified wood and Rockhounding
Post by: Alchase on November 28, 2022, 09:54:51 AM: Quote from: LDennis24 on November 27, 2022, 08:50:07 PM
This is a rough agate from Red Top my six year old son found! He lost his mind after finding this one and is clearly hooked on rock hounding now. He wants to have someone slice it for him.

Incredible, love the light coming through.
Title: Re: Petrified wood and Rockhounding
Post by: kellama2001 on November 28, 2022, 11:31:34 AM: Tagging along, this is a cool thread! I've found some bland pieces of p-wood while exploring, but nothing like what you all have posted. Would a regular wet tile saw cut these?
Title: Re: Petrified wood and Rockhounding
Post by: LDennis24 on November 28, 2022, 12:18:42 PM: Yeah a wet tile saw will cut them. Those are actually some cool pieces. That white with the bark grain is really neat.
Title: Re: Petrified wood and Rockhounding
Post by: kellama2001 on November 28, 2022, 12:38:27 PM: Quote from: LDennis24 on November 28, 2022, 12:18:42 PM
Yeah a wet tile saw will cut them. Those are actually some cool pieces. That white with the bark grain is really neat.

Great, thank you! We have a decent size saw for our construction company. If anyone needs something cut, I'd be happy to share our tile saw, just pm me.
Title: Re: Petrified wood and Rockhounding
Post by: LDennis24 on November 29, 2022, 10:36:03 PM: Sorry for the delay but here's a chunk of the striped stuff I found. It was frozen to the ground. It's pretty cool looking. So my question for anyone who might know is... What determines the color of the petrified wood? How did this piece become striped like it is?
Title: Re: Petrified wood and Rockhounding
Post by: Iveexcaped3 on November 30, 2022, 06:18:42 AM: Quote from: LDennis24 on November 29, 2022, 10:36:03 PM
Sorry for the delay but here's a chunk of the striped stuff I found. It was frozen to the ground. It's pretty cool looking. So my question for anyone who might know is... What determines the color of the petrified wood? How did this piece become striped like it is?

Just a guess but I’d think it’s what minerals are in the ground, species of wood, how long it’s been there. You can get petrified wood in 2 years with the right conditions. Stuff around yakima….. definitely older than 2 years.
Title: Re: Petrified wood and Rockhounding
Post by: boneaddict on November 30, 2022, 06:45:12 AM: Color is determined by what minerals are in the ground. Silica content, the agate
I imagine temperature and time determine some of the other qualities. Some of the stuff I learned this spring was of petrfied bog material. Think of the bottom of a pond. Enough organic to convert. The layers resemble rings of a tree. But it’s cool finding sticks and stuff mixed in with the petrified mud.
Title: Re: Petrified wood and Rockhounding
Post by: LDennis24 on November 30, 2022, 07:56:29 AM: Quote from: boneaddict on November 30, 2022, 06:45:12 AM
Color is determined by what minerals are in the ground. Silica content, the agate
I imagine temperature and time determine some of the other qualities. Some of the stuff I learned this spring was of petrfied bog material. Think of the bottom of a pond. Enough organic to convert. The layers resemble rings of a tree. But it’s cool finding sticks and stuff mixed in with the petrified mud.

Thank you guys, I know the process and the content but how do the stripes become different colors? Possibly dependent on the wood type? Is it easier for the silicates they between layers on some wood species suck as the striped piece? Also Bone, the location I gave you has the bog material all over as well. I have some neat small branches boxed up somewhere I collected.
Title: Re: Petrified wood and Rockhounding
Post by: LDennis24 on November 30, 2022, 08:01:22 AM: Also my grandfather had a partial petrified buffalo skull he found in a bog area in Montana near the Bighorn River.
Title: Re: Petrified wood and Rockhounding
Post by: Alchase on November 30, 2022, 09:08:34 PM: What a cool thread!

I was laying flagstone on Sunday, a large flake, flaked off and there was a petrified clamshell about 4” in diameter in a $6 flagstone from Home Depot!
How cool is that, :dunno:
I was tempted to break out the tile saw and cut it out. Of course in my hurry to get the work done, I forgot to get a picture. :bash:
I will get a picture as soon.

Pic added
Title: Re: Petrified wood and Rockhounding
Post by: Machias on December 13, 2022, 12:06:34 PM: I found several pieces of petrified wood in the desert of Saudi Arabia during Desert Shield/Storm. Have to see if I can find them and get a couple of photos.
Title: Re: Petrified wood and Rockhounding
Post by: TrkyBob53 on December 19, 2022, 10:24:11 AM: Back in the mid 60's and early 70's, I went with my father and a friend and dug petrified wood. Yakima canyon, Boylston area, and the Mattawa area we dug Picture wood I believe. Dug thunder eggs we called them from Redtop. Went to Montana for some kind of agates, cant remember what those were called. My dad will be moving soon and has been parting with the rocks he has acquired over the years. I would say he has or had at least a couple of tons of all kinds of rocks and wood. Does anyone know if there is any value in them? He has one piece of wood that he thinks weighs about 400 pounds.
Title: Re: Petrified wood and Rockhounding
Post by: LDennis24 on December 19, 2022, 03:24:10 PM: Yes there is value in them. You have to find the right buyer is all. Maybe inquire at the First Creek rock and gem shop North of Ellensburg.
Title: Re: Petrified wood and Rockhounding
Post by: boneaddict on December 19, 2022, 05:25:39 PM: Be very careful about selling P wood. There are a ton of regulations on it depending on where it was collected etc. Washington state in particular. I have no idea who enforces it. Just warning you to be careful.
Title: Re: Petrified wood and Rockhounding
Post by: TrkyBob53 on December 19, 2022, 07:11:05 PM: Thank you Bone. I had no idea. My dad will be 96 in a couple of weeks and just trying to help him clean things up
Title: Re: Petrified wood and Rockhounding
Post by: Knocker of rocks on December 19, 2022, 07:43:41 PM: Quote from: boneaddict on December 19, 2022, 05:25:39 PM
Be very careful about selling P wood. There are a ton of regulations on it depending on where it was collected etc. Washington state in particular. I have no idea who enforces it. Just warning you to be careful.

I don’t think that’s correct, it is treated as any other rock. You must have a legal right to own it, and selling material collected on public land per hobby laws can bring scrutiny.

It is vertebrate fossils which have heavy protection
Title: Re: Petrified wood and Rockhounding
Post by: boneaddict on December 20, 2022, 05:50:08 AM: Note I said be careful, not don’t do it. Here is an example of Wa and Oregon rules

PETRIFIED WOOD: Petrified wood is available for collection on a free use basis in limited quantities as long as the collection is for personal, non-commercial purposes. According to Federal regulations (43 CFR 3622), free use collection weights are limited to 25 pounds plus one piece per day, not to exceed 250 pounds in one calendar year, and no specimen greater than 250 pounds may be collected without a special permit. The petrified wood must be for personal use only, and shall not be sold or bartered to commercial dealers. A material sale contract must be obtained from a BLM Field Office for collection of more than 250 pounds a year, or for commercial use. Mining claims may not be staked for petrified wood.
Title: Re: Petrified wood and Rockhounding
Post by: huntnnw on December 20, 2022, 08:53:16 AM: Found this in MT this year elk hunting. I packed it out. Never seen a rock like it. Buddy of mine said it’s wood, I’m not sure.
Title: Re: Petrified wood and Rockhounding
Post by: LDennis24 on December 20, 2022, 09:04:31 AM: Yeah that's a nicely tumbled piece of the banded stuff! Looks just like the Palouse stuff I have. Mine is just more fractured but is the exact same colors and patterns for that type of wood. I'm just not sure what type of wood it is!
Title: Re: Petrified wood and Rockhounding
Post by: huntnnw on December 20, 2022, 09:18:35 AM: Found that at 9k feet in the Lima peaks in Montana
Title: Re: Petrified wood and Rockhounding
Post by: kellama2001 on December 20, 2022, 09:19:44 AM: That's a really cool piece!
Title: Re: Petrified wood and Rockhounding
Post by: Knocker of rocks on December 20, 2022, 09:38:31 AM: Quote from: boneaddict on December 20, 2022, 05:50:08 AM
Note I said be careful, not don’t do it. Here is an example of Wa and Oregon rules

PETRIFIED WOOD: Petrified wood is available for collection on a free use basis in limited quantities as long as the collection is for personal, non-commercial purposes. According to Federal regulations (43 CFR 3622), free use collection weights are limited to 25 pounds plus one piece per day, not to exceed 250 pounds in one calendar year, and no specimen greater than 250 pounds may be collected without a special permit. The petrified wood must be for personal use only, and shall not be sold or bartered to commercial dealers. A material sale contract must be obtained from a BLM Field Office for collection of more than 250 pounds a year, or for commercial use. Mining claims may not be staked for petrified wood.

Point taken