Rock Identifier
Likely petrified wood (Silicified fossil wood, chiefly quartz (SiO₂)) — fossil
fossil

Likely petrified wood

Silicified fossil wood, chiefly quartz (SiO₂)

AI-generated identification · may be incorrect

Brown, cream, and gray mottling with a dull-to-waxy luster; the image does not reveal grain clearly enough to confirm. Quartz has Mohs hardness 7 and a trigonal crystal structure; the specimen’s hardness cannot be established visually.

Identified More fossil →
Explore Likely petrified wood in the encyclopedia →

Identify your own rocks.

Get a report just like this from any photo, free.

App StoreGoogle Play

Physical properties

Brown, cream, and gray mottling with a dull-to-waxy luster; the image does not reveal grain clearly enough to confirm. Quartz has Mohs hardness 7 and a trigonal crystal structure; the specimen’s hardness cannot be established visually.

Formation & geological history

Formed when buried wood was gradually mineralized, commonly by silica-bearing groundwater; petrification can occur across many geological ages and settings.

Uses & applications

Collected as a fossil or used in lapidary work and decorative objects; attractive pieces may be polished into cabochons or ornaments.

Geological facts

Petrified wood preserves the shape and sometimes fine cellular structure of ancient wood as minerals replace or fill its tissues.

Field identification & locations

Look for wood grain, growth rings, or cellular patterns; these are not clearly visible here, so visual identification is uncertain. Petrified wood occurs worldwide, notably in Arizona’s Petrified Forest.

More like this

Other fossil specimens

Probable fossil-bearing rock or mineral concretion (Unidentified carbonate-rich concretion with a possible fossil inclusion) — fossil

Probable fossil-bearing rock or mineral concretion

Unidentified carbonate-rich concretion with a possible fossil inclusion

fossil
Likely fossil oyster shell (Fossilized bivalve shell; exact species cannot be identified from the image) — fossil

Likely fossil oyster shell

Fossilized bivalve shell; exact species cannot be identified from the image

fossil
Crinoid Stem Fossil in Matrix (Phylum Echinodermata, Class Crinoidea) — fossil

Crinoid Stem Fossil in Matrix

Phylum Echinodermata, Class Crinoidea

fossil
Fossiliferous limestone (likely a crinoidal or shell-fragment limestone) (Bioclastic limestone, composed chiefly of calcite (CaCO₃)) — sedimentary

Fossiliferous limestone (likely a crinoidal or shell-fragment limestone)

Bioclastic limestone, composed chiefly of calcite (CaCO₃)

sedimentary
Rounded sedimentary pebble (Likely micritic limestone or calcareous sandstone) — sedimentary

Rounded sedimentary pebble

Likely micritic limestone or calcareous sandstone

sedimentary
Fossil oyster shell (Oyster (family Ostreidae); shell composed chiefly of calcite (CaCO₃)) — fossil

Fossil oyster shell

Oyster (family Ostreidae); shell composed chiefly of calcite (CaCO₃)

fossil