Petrified Wood

Petrified wood is found at many locations in Idaho. The Idaho Department of Lands reports silicified wood occurrences in Custer, Gem, Lincoln, Owyhee, and Washington Counties, with occurrences of opalized wood in Boundary, Gem, Gooding, Latah, and Owyhee Counties.

The Virtual Petrified Wood Museum has an article with nice photos describing Bruneau Woodpile, a location where collecting is possible. Bruneau Woodpile is a unique deposit because the wood is mineralized by apatite! The deposit is of Miocene/Pliocene age and contains a diversity of wood species, including both hardwoods and conifers. The article includes directions to the deposit and collecting suggestions.

Petrified Wood from Lightning Ridge, Finch Co., New South Wales, Australia — **Herringbone Sequoia:** These cabochons were cut from an opalized wood known as Herringbone Sequoia. The rough was found in the Snake River / Hell’s Canyon area by an old-time rockhound in the mid-1900s and was sold as part of his estate. It is uncertain if it was found on the Idaho or Oregon side of the canyon. Whichever state it came from, it is a beautiful and unique material. It is definitely opalized wood (specific gravity = 2.106, spot refractive index = 1.48).

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