BigGuy Posted March 5, 2015 Share Posted March 5, 2015 (edited) I dug up a log of petrified wood from a coal mine in Brilliant, Alabama. The log wighed about 1200 pounds, The picture is one piece that weighs approximately 80 pounds. The wood occurs in the Cretaceous age Coker formation and is a member of the Tuscaloosa group. The remarkable feature of the wood is the filling of the cavities with quartz crystals, The Coker is part of an ancient near shore environment along a delta plain. Dicotyledonous Wood Edited March 6, 2015 by BigGuy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paleoflor Posted March 5, 2015 Share Posted March 5, 2015 That is a very impressive piece of wood! Nice find. Dicotyledonous Wood If I may ask, could you explain a bit more on how you excluded soft woods? Does the specimen show some structural features typical for dicotyledons or is the locality known for producing a particular type of wood? Searching for green in the dark grey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustPlainPetrified Posted March 5, 2015 Share Posted March 5, 2015 That is a great piece! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigGuy Posted March 5, 2015 Author Share Posted March 5, 2015 (edited) I have not ruled out soft wood. However scientific studies of the more articulated specimens indicate 151 species; the majority were dicotyledonous – angiosperms The environment was a semi tropical lowland flooded rainforest which favors hardwoods. A new species was discovered in the Tuscaloosa group: Paraphyllanthoxylon Alabanese. The tree is related to modern laurels. The following is an article which discusses the flora: http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/2441225?sid=21105544293531&uid=3739256&uid=3739536&uid=4&uid=2 Edited March 5, 2015 by BigGuy 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rodney Posted March 6, 2015 Share Posted March 6, 2015 This little section came out of a creek in Alabama. Do you thinks it is petrified wood or just a rock that looks like wood. Both parts are from the same section, just broke open. Rodney Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted March 6, 2015 Share Posted March 6, 2015 This little section came out of a creek in Alabama. Do you thinks it is petrified wood or just a rock that looks like wood. Both parts are from the same section, just broke open. Rodney With an end view, I might could tell enough to comment convincingly. The rock 'graininess' looks a little coarse for typical petwood, though. "There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley >Paleontology is an evolving science. >May your wonders never cease! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigGuy Posted March 6, 2015 Author Share Posted March 6, 2015 (edited) Rodney where in Alabama did you find it? It is typical of the coarse grained druzy quartz crystal petrified wood. At one coal mine the owner was selling the over burden for fill dirt. I saw a pile of 28 complete logs. Some were over 20 feet long and very solid. The front end loader operator piled them up. Others were riddled with cavities filled with smokey quartz. The collectors perfer the crystallized wood. The Coker Formation is sand and stream tumbled gravel. This is what one would expect on an alluvial delta. Edited March 6, 2015 by BigGuy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigGuy Posted March 6, 2015 Author Share Posted March 6, 2015 (edited) If you go back to the creek I would say you could find bigger pieces and possible a log. There is some weathering from the stream but not much. With that being said you are not far from a larger piece. AUSPEX, I would like to donate a nice piece of crystallized wood to the auction that benefits the Forum. How do I do that? Edited March 6, 2015 by BigGuy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Herb Posted March 6, 2015 Share Posted March 6, 2015 beautiful! "Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence"_ Carl Sagen No trees were killed in this posting......however, many innocent electrons were diverted from where they originally intended to go. " I think, therefore I collect fossils." _ Me "When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."__S. Holmes "can't we all just get along?" Jack Nicholson from Mars Attacks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donnyjoe Posted March 6, 2015 Share Posted March 6, 2015 Love it all. I have a few pieces with that same crystal structure found in South Texas. Cogito ergo cephalalgia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted March 6, 2015 Share Posted March 6, 2015 ... I would like to donate a nice piece of crystallized wood to the auction that benefits the Forum. How do I do that? That's very generous of you! Just post the auction in the 'benefit' forum: LINK Timely, as the owner is shopping for a less restrictive shared hosting plan, to speed things up! "There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley >Paleontology is an evolving science. >May your wonders never cease! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plantguy Posted March 6, 2015 Share Posted March 6, 2015 What a great find! Curious as to how big the log is? diameter and length? You didnt manage to somehow bring it home--did you?? Thanks for showing us! Regards, Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigGuy Posted March 6, 2015 Author Share Posted March 6, 2015 (edited) Yes I brought it home in chunks. The logs filled with crystals typically dig out in pieces. The solid logs usually come out as one piece, There are logs that are 65 feet long and 2 to 3 feet in diameter. The pile I saw was from 20 to 30 feet in length but I could not be sure they came out as one log because heavy equipment was digging out the overburden and broke many logs. The log I dig out was not near that long, more like 7 or 8 feet. Edited March 6, 2015 by BigGuy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plantguy Posted March 6, 2015 Share Posted March 6, 2015 Yes I brought it home in chunks. The logs filled with crystals typically dig out in pieces. The solid logs usually come out as one piece, There are logs that are 65 feet long and 2 to 3 feet in diameter. The pile I saw was from 20 to 30 feet in length but I could not be sure they came out as one log because heavy equipment was digging out the overburden and broke many logs. The log I dig out was not near that long, more like 7 or 8 feet. Wow! Never found anything that size--thanks for the reply. I remember seeing some in the "petrified forest" in Calistoga, California that are that big...believe they were all redwoods. I was impressed, most non-fossils folks werent! Thanks again for showing us. Regards, Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denise Glenn Posted July 12, 2023 Share Posted July 12, 2023 Drove through Brilliant Alabama today. Cute little town. Would have loved to find a piece of he brilliant petrified wood! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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