What cut this Petrified Wood?

[White Feather]

I hope I am posting in the right topic...you know I am blond..lol and old...lol I picked this up in MS years ago on a rock hunt central MS maybe Big Black River close to Natchez. I was always wondering what kind of wood and just how it seemed was cut with something sharp before it petrified. I am interested in your thoughts on this piece. 

Thank you all so much!! Your great at helping us amateurs!! Brought more inside and cleaning to show later.

Deb

[Righteous]

Don’t know about that area but in Arizona when the trees turn petrified they will just break off looking like someone was cutting it for firewood. They will even appear as if they have been polished they will be so smooth. 

[Rockwood]

Settling of sediments during diagenesis causes that.

[Mahnmut]

Hello Deb.

There is also a kind of dry rot fungus that destroys the longitudinal fibers (cellulose) in the wood before the rest of the structure (mostly lignin), making it fall apart in cube like shapes.

When I was a child I was fascinated by that reddish brown punk wood and pretended it was a precious spice (without actually eating it)

 

I am not saying that this is what you have there, but it is another possible explanation for rectangular shapes in wood.

I saw an article recently about this kind of thing in fossils:

https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/artful-amoeba/new-oldest-fungus-fossil-grew-like-dry-rot/

 

Best Regards,

J

 

[Rockwood]

22 minutes ago, Rockwood said:

Settling of sediments during diagenesis causes that.

Perhaps better to say it is usually the primary cause.

I tried to argue shrinking of fibers as the cause once, but it wasn't judged to be number one. 

[Mark Kmiecik]

23 hours ago, Rockwood said:

Perhaps better to say it is usually the primary cause.

I tried to argue shrinking of fibers as the cause once, but it wasn't judged to be number one. 

Caused by careless use of light sabers among the ancient Jedi population. 

[White Feather]

Darn sorry I missed that with the Light sabers, I love Jedi!!! 

[Rockwood]

18 minutes ago, Mark Kmiecik said:

Caused by careless use of light sabers among the ancient Jedi population. 

I'm not sure it was that careless.

The notch could be a bit cleaner, but as a felling cut its not bad. 

[Pbassham]

On 1/30/2020 at 3:16 PM, Mahnmut said:

Hello Deb.

There is also a kind of dry rot fungus that destroys the longitudinal fibers (cellulose) in the wood before the rest of the structure (mostly lignin), making it fall apart in cube like shapes.

When I was a child I was fascinated by that reddish brown punk wood and pretended it was a precious spice (without actually eating it)

 

I am not saying that this is what you have there, but it is another possible explanation for rectangular shapes in wood.

I saw an article recently about this kind of thing in fossils:

https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/artful-amoeba/new-oldest-fungus-fossil-grew-like-dry-rot/

 

Best Regards,

J

 

But did you smoke it?? Inhale? And most importantly,  Did you share? Let’s see those eyes?  lol!

[garyc]

If it’s illegal to collect petrified wood in some of the national parks, does that make it a controlled substance?

[Rockwood]

54 minutes ago, garyc said:

If it’s illegal to collect petrified wood in some of the national parks, does that make it a controlled substance?

One would hope so.

The thing is that the wood itself doesn't respect park boundaries.

[White Feather]

Garyc you know when I think about it, we have a Petrified Forest in Mississippi but I would sure be arrested if I picked up anything and carried it out. I always obey the law..just like feathers, over 1000 feathers on the list you can get fined and arrested for picking them up...I have to respect that also. I am not in a Federal Tribe and not a card carrying Native. So YES on the Controlled substance.