Petrified wood?

[Wisconsin Hound]

Hi. I found these in southern Utah and thought they were petrified wood until I read somewhere petrified wood is smooth.  Does anyone know what I have? 

[Fossildude19]

Moved to FOSSIL ID.

 

(Help and Suggestions is for questions about using the Forum.)

[Rockwood]

1 hour ago, Wisconsin Hound said:

thought they were petrified wood until I read somewhere petrified wood is smooth.  

Don't believe everything you read. This sure looks like wood to me. And I'm quite sure wood isn't always smooth. 

[Kato]

I concur with Rockwood. Plenty of specimens in my collection. None are smooth and many look like yours. Glad you found some and hopefully had a good time.

[DPS Ammonite]

Posters think that “help” may mean help with ID and “suggestions” means suggestions for an ID. “Website” as the first word of the sub forum title might steer those looking for an ID to the correct section. Putting the fossil ID section near the top is a great idea: kudos.

[Wisconsin Hound]

1 hour ago, Kato said:

I concur with Rockwood. Plenty of specimens in my collection. None are smooth and many look like yours. Glad you found some and hopefully had a good time.

I did. I was stoked when I found these. It was only a couple of miles from the hotel so I was going to go back the next morning to look for more, but it snowed overnight.  Oh well.  I guess I just left some treasures for others. 

[Yoda]

@Wisconsin Hound

I agree with the others 

Nice wood. 

 

If you mention exactly where you found it, one of the (local) experts may be able t determine how old it is 

[Mark Kmiecik]

If you read it online then definitely don't believe it. I have lots of wood in my collection and not one of those specimens is smooth. Usually it's only smooth if you cut it with a diamond saw and polish it. It looks like wood to me.

[Rockwood]

18 minutes ago, Mark Kmiecik said:

If you read it online then definitely don't believe it. I have lots of wood in my collection and not one of those specimens is smooth. Usually it's only smooth if you cut it with a diamond saw and polish it. It looks like wood to me.

Well, it sort of depends on your definition of smooth. The majority of mine is as smooth as driftwood. In fact I believe a healthy proportion of all petrified wood was driftwood. 

Most of the smaller pieces of wood in Texas creek beds has polished look to it. 

[Mark Kmiecik]

I prefer to use the Oxford dictionaryDefinition of smooth. "Having an even and regular surface or consistency; free from perceptible projections, lumps, or indentations."

 

[Rockwood]

21 hours ago, Mark Kmiecik said:

If you read it online then definitely don't believe it. I have lots of wood in my collection and not one of those specimens is smooth. Usually it's only smooth if you cut it with a diamond saw and polish it. It looks like wood to me.

 

34 minutes ago, Mark Kmiecik said:

I prefer to use the Oxford dictionaryDefinition of smooth. "Having an even and regular surface or consistency; free from perceptible projections, lumps, or indentations."

 

You mean not one of your petrified wood specimens meets those criteria?  I would say over ninety percent of mine do. 

[Randyw]

LOL! My petrified wood comes in all the shapes and textures of ....well....wood!

[Mark Kmiecik]

1 hour ago, Rockwood said:

 

You mean not one of your petrified wood specimens meets those criteria?  I would say over ninety percent of mine do. 

 

Nope. Not even one. They're all lumpy, bumpy, holey and/or striated, rippled, dimpled, or ruffled. Some even have side shoots attached. It's a nightmare I tell 'ya -- a nightmare! 

[FranzBernhard]

LOL!

"Smooth" - possibly describing a fresh break which is somewhat glossy?

Franz Bernhard

[Rockwood]

Wood comes from a band saw rough, put it through a planer and it's smooth. If it doesn't look like you'd get splinters from it, I call it smooth. The only wood I've got that even comes close what I'd call rough is some marginally mineralized pieces from a log that I had to break out of sandstone.