Fossil wood?

[Phishmi]

This is a very smooth rock or wood. I can not tell . It's hard to see it but there is a "crystal line " In the second picture you can see the "crystal line" in the middle.  I am confused is it a rock or wood? Any clue? Thank you.

[ynot]

Looks like a sedimentary rock to Me.

[Innocentx]

If you could look at it under magnification, maybe 10x, you might be able to see uniform vascular structures if it's wood.  

[Micah]

I would be very surprised if this was not Petrified wood. It is quite worn so I can't 100% rule out geologic in orgin, but I'm as positive as I can be without seeing it in person. Fun find! Ps. If those inclusions in the piece are crystalline as they appear to be Im even more convinced it's wood.

[Phishmi]

3 hours ago, Micah said:

I would be very surprised if this was not Petrified wood. It is quite worn so I can't 100% rule out geologic in orgin, but I'm as positive as I can be without seeing it in person. Fun find! Ps. If those inclusions in the piece are crystalline as they appear to be Im even more convinced it's wood.

The inclusions do have crystalline in them when looked with a handheld magnifier. It has two. I could tell this one was different . It's very smooth, and looked very much like wood. Thank you, for helping. 

[ynot]

Can You post pictures of the ends?

 

[Micah]

@Phishmi no problem. It's probably smooth from being in running water at some point in time. (A pic of the ends might show the rings better and dispel any doubt about it being wood)

[Rockwood]

Put me in the notwood camp. It is quite similar, but a few small details seem inconsistent with it being wood. The fine texture being one. Also there look to be a few spots where the layering looks off.

[Micah]

On 4/30/2017 at 10:19 PM, Innocentx said:

If you could look at it under magnification, maybe 10x, you might be able to see uniform vascular structures if it's wood.  

Peats right, we could talk back and forth about whether it's sedemantary rock or wood, but we simply can't for sure through pictures. The only way to tell for certain is to look at it under magnification. This link might prove helpful in knowing what to look for and if it is wood what you are seeing. http://www.evolvingearth.org/learnearthscience/sciencearticles0809identifypetrifiedwood.htm

[Peat Burns]

What's interesting about this specimen is that it is eerily similar to a specimen I have.  It is a collection based in Michigan, but the specimen has zero data, so there is no telling where it came from (I didn't collect it - It was probably collected many decades ago if not over a century ago).  But it is definitely petrified / silicified wood (i.e. if I threw it at you, you'd know it).  Specifically, it appears to be petrified *drift wood* (although I suppose it could have been eroded into it's current condition after it became silicified only giving it the appearance of "drift wood").  I highly doubt my specimen was collected in Michigan, as I can't think of a bedrock source of silicified gymnosperm or angiosperm wood.  There is plenty of non-mineralized Pleistocene wood in the wetland and lake sediments, obviously.

 

 

Here's the pudding where the proof lies for my specimen.  This is a radial view of the fossil.  You can see the longitudinal fibers and even cross-field rays (sorry it's a bit blurry, I was holding my cell phone over the microscope and have had a bit too much coffee today).  Transverse sections show clear distinction between spring and summer wood (rings).

 

 

At @Phishmi, can you get a good hand lens and see if there are any cell patterns on the ends (transverse view) or sides (radial and tangential views)?  Where in Michigan was it found, and in what context (beach? rock garden? gravel pit?)?

[Phishmi]

I have posted two more pictures front and back. I hope this helps. We have a creek in our backyard, it floods a lot so I was trying to fix it. I've been digging all sorts of rocks out. The creek has a lot of sand, feels like it goes pretty deep. I live in Ottawa County, Michigan. Almost a mile from Lake Michigan.  Thank you .

[ynot]

I am still of the opinion that it is not petrified wood and is a sedimentary rock. It is lacking the structures I would expect to see in a piece of wood that had the growth rings that well defined.

[Rockwood]

Same here. Peats post is a fine example of what you should be looking for. I just don't see it here.

[Innocentx]

@Phishmi  Just to satisfy yourself, I think you should do the magnification if you haven't yet.  If wood, it will be fairly obvious.

[Micah]

2 hours ago, Innocentx said:

@Phishmi  Just to satisfy yourself, I think you should do the magnification if you haven't yet.  If wood, it will be fairly obvious.

I second this wholeheartedly!