Rock Identifier
Petrified Wood (Silicified Wood (SiO2)) — fossil
fossil

Petrified Wood

Silicified Wood (SiO2)

AI-generated identification · may be incorrect

Hardness of 6.5-7 on Mohs scale; displays wood grain patterns in brown, grey, or red; vitreous to dull luster.

Identified More fossil →
Explore Petrified Wood in the encyclopedia →

Identify your own rocks.

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

App StoreGoogle Play

Physical properties

Hardness of 6.5-7 on Mohs scale; displays wood grain patterns in brown, grey, or red; vitreous to dull luster.

Formation & geological history

Formed through permineralization, where groundwater rich in dissolved silica replaces organic plant material over millions of years.

Uses & applications

Used in decorative items, jewelry making, lapidary arts, and as collector specimens.

Geological facts

The cellular structure of the original tree is frequently preserved in microscopic detail within the stone.

Field identification & locations

Identify by retaining the distinct texture of tree bark and annual rings while feeling exceptionally heavy and stone-like; commonly found in deserts and ancient floodplains.

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
Porous limestone pebble (Calcite-rich limestone (primarily CaCO₃); exact identification is uncertain from the image) — sedimentary

Porous limestone pebble

Calcite-rich limestone (primarily CaCO₃); exact identification is uncertain from the image

sedimentary
Weathered fossil bone fragment (identification uncertain) (Fossilized bone; exact taxon and mineral composition cannot be determined from the image) — fossil

Weathered fossil bone fragment (identification uncertain)

Fossilized bone; exact taxon and mineral composition cannot be determined from the image

fossil