Petrified Wood ID and Care

[Nathan8372]

Good Evening All,

 

I'm new to this forum and this is my first post. I was hoping someone could assist me in identifying the type of petrified wood I found in South Texas and the easiest way to remove the white minerals around it (providing I even should be removing the minerals around it). There were several pieces found about 4' below-ground on the edge of a crevasse where water was carving out the soil. I am tempted to return with an excavator to locate more of it but will hold off in the meantime.

 

An early thanks to anyone who can reply and give me some guidance.

Edited January 10, 2021 by Nathan8372

[Thomas.Dodson]

With a few exceptions petrified wood isn't easy to ID. Locality specific literature is your best bet. If you're truly keen on trying to identify this then at the very least we need an image of a cross section to see cell structure to compare with other wood. Failing that you will need thin sections in 3 axes polished and examined under magnification.

 

I'd recommend reading this thread.

Singling out these resources.

On 1/2/2021 at 5:22 AM, paleoflor said:

Certainly no expert on the subject, but the following resources might be helpful:

I really like Hoadley's (1990) Identifying wood: Accurate results with simple tools. This book deals with modern woods, but the basic principles also apply to fossil woods and are explained well here. The InsideWood database is a free and useful online search engine containing both extant and fossil wood types. Another great resource is the International Association of Wood Anatomists (IAWA). Especially the IAWA lists for softwood and hardwood identification are very useful.

[FranzBernhard]

Welcome to TFF from Austria!

 

5 hours ago, Nathan8372 said:

white minerals around it

These are probably some calcium carbonate deposits, formed in the soil zone. Gypsum or other minerals can not be totally excluded at the moment, though.

 

Some tests:

- Put a small (< 1 cm) fragment of the white material in vinegar (5 %) and see, what happens.

- Do this also with a small fragment of the petwood itself. What happens?

 

Franz Bernhard

[Nathan8372]

12 hours ago, FranzBernhard said:

Welcome to TFF from Austria!

 

These are probably some calcium carbonate deposits, formed in the soil zone. Gypsum or other minerals can not be totally excluded at the moment, though.

 

Some tests:

- Put a small (< 1 cm) fragment of the white material in vinegar (5 %) and see, what happens.

- Do this also with a small fragment of the petwood itself. What happens?

 

Franz Bernhard

Danke für die Begrüßung. I put a small piece of the wood in some white vinegar and the deposits are bubbling slowly. It will be interesting to see what it 
looks like after a few hours. 

Edited January 10, 2021 by Nathan8372