Petrified wood is not rare. It is found in volcanic deposits and sedimentary rocks at many of locations worldwide. It is sometimes found where volcanic activity covered plant material with ash, mudflows or pyroclastic debris. It is found where wood in sedimentary deposits was replaced by minerals precipitated from groundwater. It is especially abundant around coal seams, although many of the wood specimens in these locations are casts and molds rather than petrifications. One almost unbelievable material from Western Australia is known as “peanut wood” because of its ovoid markings, but those markings are actually boreholes drilled by a clam!
Peanut wood: A close-up of a slice of petrified wood from Australia known as “peanut wood” because of its white markings the size and shape of peanuts. The “peanuts” are actually boreholes made in the wood by a shipworm which is a tiny species of clam. If you look closely you can see a spiral-shaped boring that traverses the width of this image (second row from the bottom).
In the United States, noteworthy locations where abundant fossilized wood can be seen include:
- Petrified Forest National Park near Holbrook, Arizona
- Petrified Palm Deposits in the Catahoula Formation of Louisiana, Texas and Mississippi
- Ginkgo Petrified Forest near Wanapum Reservoir, Washington
- The Petrified Forest near Calistoga, California
- Mississippi Petrified Forest near Flora, Mississippi
- The Gilboa Fossils near Gilboa, New York
- Florissant Fossil Beds near Florissant, Colorado
- Gallatin Petrified Forest near Yellowstone, Wyoming
- Escalante Petrified Forest State Park near Escalante, Utah
- Petrified Wood Park in Lemmon, South Dakota (a rock sculpture park – some made of local petrified wood)
- Blue Forest near Eden Valley, Wyoming
Please Note: Collecting petrified wood is not allowed in some of the areas listed above. Before you remove petrified wood (or other rocks, minerals or fossils) from private land, make sure that you have permission from the property owner, and, before removing from public land, make sure that collecting is allowed.
Colorful petrified wood: Petrified wood with spectacular colors and full petrification is highly prized for lapidary work. It can be polished and used to make jewelry and many other crafts.