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Petrified Wood Struck By Lightning?

Trilobiting

By Trilobiting
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Trilobiting Regular Member

Trilobiting

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I came into a rock and mineral shop in Northern California and looked around. I saw this on display and bought a few pieces. Is this actually petrified wood struck by lightning? Does anybody know the provenance of this fossil (it wasn't specified).

Thanks.

image.jpeg

"Fossils have richer stories to tell about the lub-dub of dinosaur life than we have been willing to listen to." - Robert T. Bakker

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ynot Regular Member

ynot

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I know of no way to verify if it was struck by lightning. I think it is more likely a dealer trying to make a common fossil more desirable to potential customers.

I am also uncertain about the pictured material being petrified wood, there are some minerals that can look like what I am seeing in the picture.

Can You post pictures of the material You purchased?

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Darwin said: " Man sprang from monkeys."

Will Rogers said: " Some of them didn't spring far enough."

 

My Fossil collection - My Mineral collection

My favorite thread on TFF.

 

 

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Trilobiting Regular Member

Trilobiting

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image.jpeg

image.jpeg

"Fossils have richer stories to tell about the lub-dub of dinosaur life than we have been willing to listen to." - Robert T. Bakker

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Brett Breakin' Rocks Regular Member

Brett Breakin' Rocks

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  I agree with @ynot I'm assuming the strike ...  if there ever was one .. and how would they prove that ?? Would have been before the wood was petrified.  ie. it set the tree ablaze and/or charred it.  More likely .. I would think that the tree may have been burned by a fire started by a lighting strike and then subsequently petrified ? Petrified wood can also be found in many colors and some that is jet black.

 

  Petrified wood isn't my specialty .. but this has some nice color regardless of its origin..

 

Apparently there may be wood with the 'scar' of a strike or fire.  But this was a tree that survived.

https://www.livescience.com/47316-oldest-forest-fire-scar-fossil.html

 

Cheers,

Brett

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Trilobiting Regular Member

Trilobiting

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image.jpeg

image.jpeg

"Fossils have richer stories to tell about the lub-dub of dinosaur life than we have been willing to listen to." - Robert T. Bakker

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Trilobiting Regular Member

Trilobiting

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I'm thinking the petrified wood (or whatever the material is, if it's not petrified wood) is encrusted in some type of mineral. Though, I'm still not sure how it's been struck by lightning. 

"Fossils have richer stories to tell about the lub-dub of dinosaur life than we have been willing to listen to." - Robert T. Bakker

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Miocene_Mason Regular Member

Miocene_Mason

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2 minutes ago, Trilobiting said:

I'm thinking the petrified wood (or whatever the material is, if it's not petrified wood) is encrusted in some type of mineral.

This may be true, but i must say the last two pictures look just like some sort of mineral. The lightning strike thing doesn't make sense either, probably a lie or one of those "you can't prove it wasn't" type of things.

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“...whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been and are being evolved.” ~ Charles Darwin

Happy hunting,

Mason

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Spinosaurus Regular Member

Spinosaurus

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i dont think it is possible to say if there even was something like a lightning strike on that piece of wood, so i go with @ynot

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westcoast Regular Member

westcoast

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Those Last Two Images Do Look Like FULGURITE,  which is a silicified sand the result of a lightning strike

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Trilobiting Regular Member

Trilobiting

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1 minute ago, westcoast said:

Those Last Two Images Do Look Like FULGURITE,  which is a silicified sand the result of a lightning strike

Aren't fulgurites hollow? The "wood" itself isn't hollow; it actually has some weight to it.

"Fossils have richer stories to tell about the lub-dub of dinosaur life than we have been willing to listen to." - Robert T. Bakker

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ynot Regular Member

ynot

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Just now, Trilobiting said:

Aren't fulgurites hollow? The "wood" itself isn't hollow; it actually has some weight to it.

Not necessarily hollow but typically round and made of a green glass encrusted with sand..

The pieces from the original pictures and the additional piece do not look like fulgurites to Me.

Darwin said: " Man sprang from monkeys."

Will Rogers said: " Some of them didn't spring far enough."

 

My Fossil collection - My Mineral collection

My favorite thread on TFF.

 

 

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Miocene_Mason Regular Member

Miocene_Mason

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10 minutes ago, westcoast said:

Those Last Two Images Do Look Like FULGURITE,  which is a silicified sand the result of a lightning strike

Aren't enough crystals a bit big for a fulgarite? I'm guessing it's a vug fragment.

“...whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been and are being evolved.” ~ Charles Darwin

Happy hunting,

Mason

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Rockwood Regular Member

Rockwood

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Prove may be a strong word, and I'm not in a position to verify this piece, but I can't imagine a force that would splinter a tree exactly the way lightning does.

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JohnBrewer Regular Member

JohnBrewer

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2 hours ago, westcoast said:

Those Last Two Images Do Look Like FULGURITE,  which is a silicified sand the result of a lightning strike

Exactly what I thought when I saw those images. 

John

 

Map of UK fossil sites

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JohnBrewer Regular Member

JohnBrewer

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1 hour ago, doushantuo said:

wooligh

With the weather being rubbish (as normal for our 'summer') here and travelling through Somerset tomorrow I may put my foot down a little. 

 

Some stunning images in the link.  

John

 

Map of UK fossil sites

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  • 1 year later...
LonePineRocks Newbie

LonePineRocks

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Hi! This is in fact a piece of petrified wood that has been struck by lightning.  It was found in the Owens Valley and we were part of the crew that dug it up.  Surrounding it was also pieces of Fulgurite.  So glad that you all enjoy and I hope you feel it is as beautiful and amazing as we do! 

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Rockwood Regular Member

Rockwood

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45 minutes ago, LonePineRocks said:

This is in fact a piece of petrified wood that has been struck by lightning.  

Was the presence of fulgurite the only diagnostic, or just how was this determined ?

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