STUDYING THE PAST OF Petrified Wood
Rock&Gem Magazine|July 2021
Trust Plant Anatomy To Be Your Guide When Working In the Present
DOUG FOSTER
STUDYING THE PAST OF Petrified Wood
Petrified wood is one of the least expensive semi-precious gemstones and yet can be one of the most fascinating if properly prepared and labelled. Many years ago, I got interested when a big flood dropped tons of rock on our pasture, including a lot of petrified wood, and a local rock shop cut a big chunk for me that revealed unexpected patterns inside. Over time, this interest turned into an obsession. Lacking any formal background in geology and botany, I studied diligently, learned to identify wood, kept my three slab saws running most daylight hours, and identified thousands of specimens of petrified wood. For the last 20 years, I’ve been the curator of petrified wood at the Crater Rock Museum in Central Point, Oregon, and I’ve coauthored and published the first scientific study of petrified wood in Oregon’s Rogue Valley.

To know how best to cut petrified wood, you’ll have to learn some plant anatomy, and to describe and label petrified wood, you’ll need to learn more plant anatomy and buy a 20X lens: your old 10X loop isn’t powerful enough. One attraction of petrified wood, seldom taken advantage of by lapidaries, is telling its story: petrified wood was once alive, and most people are interested in fossils. This can vary from describing woody features to telling how long ago the tree was alive to identifying what kind of tree it was.

CUTTING, GRINDING AND GLUING

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة July 2021 من Rock&Gem Magazine.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة July 2021 من Rock&Gem Magazine.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

المزيد من القصص من ROCK&GEM MAGAZINE مشاهدة الكل
Rockhounding Ohio's Lake Erie Islands
Rock&Gem Magazine

Rockhounding Ohio's Lake Erie Islands

A short ferry boat ride three miles from Ohio’s Lake Erie coastline is South Bass Island, better known as Put-in-Bay or the “Key West of the North.”

time-read
4 mins  |
Rockhound Roadtrip 2024
Iowa's Hidden Treasures
Rock&Gem Magazine

Iowa's Hidden Treasures

Exploring Keokuk Geodes: How They're Made & What's Inside

time-read
5 mins  |
Rockhound Roadtrip 2024
Agatized CORAL
Rock&Gem Magazine

Agatized CORAL

Florida's Collectible State Stone

time-read
3 mins  |
Rockhound Roadtrip 2024
Rockhounding Florida's Beaches
Rock&Gem Magazine

Rockhounding Florida's Beaches

Beachcombing serene stretches of Florida can reveal fascinating finds like fossilized shark teeth, sea glass, quartz, agate and even coral fragments.

time-read
6 mins  |
Rockhound Roadtrip 2024
Collecting Staurolite
Rock&Gem Magazine

Collecting Staurolite

Hot Spots In Virginia & Georgia

time-read
3 mins  |
Rockhound Roadtrip 2024
Pecos Valley Diamonds
Rock&Gem Magazine

Pecos Valley Diamonds

New Mexico's Ancient Attraction

time-read
4 mins  |
Rockhound Roadtrip 2024
12 Tips for Rockhounding Tucson's Greatest Shows
Rock&Gem Magazine

12 Tips for Rockhounding Tucson's Greatest Shows

Tucson in February becomes the international hub for buying and selling colored gems, rocks, minerals and fossils.

time-read
4 mins  |
Rockhound Roadtrip 2024
Turquoise in the American Southwest
Rock&Gem Magazine

Turquoise in the American Southwest

A Water & Sky Souvenir

time-read
4 mins  |
Rockhound Roadtrip 2024
Touring Colorado's MINERAL BELT
Rock&Gem Magazine

Touring Colorado's MINERAL BELT

It's a Showcase of Mining History & Minerals

time-read
6 mins  |
Rockhound Roadtrip 2024
Geology &Colorado's Taurish Traiks
Rock&Gem Magazine

Geology &Colorado's Taurish Traiks

Most of Colorado’s tourist trains today were originally constructed in the late 1800s to serve the state’s lucrative mining operations.

time-read
4 mins  |
Rockhound Roadtrip 2024