Compressed Palm

Object/Artifact

-

Crater Rock Museum

Name/Title

Compressed Palm

Entry/Object ID

05.58.28

Description

Assemblage Zone: Fluviatile nonmarine Chemical Composition: Si O2 Crystal System: Hexagonal Description: Family: Palmae Genus: Palmoxylon Common Name: Palm Age: Late Oligocene to Early Miocene Location data: Catahoula Formation on the Texas-Louisiana border country USA Description: Compressed by overburden of pressure during the petrification process. Polished face colors range from beiges to black Type of Fossils Present: Plants Fracture: conchoidal Grain Size: Fine Hardness: 7 Quartz Lithofacies: Fluviatle-lacustrine Luster: Glassy Occurrence: Silicified wood, which is the fossilization and opalization of organic woody matter by the deposition of SiO2 in a anaerobic environment to prevent decay. This means that the wood must somehow be buried in an oxygen free enviroment, possibly in the silt-laden river or the bottom of a lake or buried by volcanic ash or related volcanic mudflow. The organic material in the wood is then replaced by silica (SiO2), other minerals determined its colors. Pressure: Low-Moderate Rock Color: Light Rock Origin: Post-depositional Rock Type: Sedimentary Specific Gravity: 2.6 Surface Process: Not apparent Temperature: Low Texture: Microcrystalline Variety: Petrified woods ar hydrous microcrystalline varieties of quartz that can be generally termed as chalcedony or opalized .

Collection

Petrified Wood Collection

Acquisition

Accession

05.58

Source or Donor

Petrified Wood Collection

Acquisition Method

Donation

Other Names and Numbers

Other Number

Other Number: 2005.58.28

Dimensions

Width

5-1/8 in

Depth

1/4 in

Length

15 in

Dimension Notes

Dimension taken at widest points

Location

Location

Container

Left

Drawer

2nd Shelf

Shelf

Left

Cabinet

Case #101

Wall

South Wall

Building

Mentzer Hall - Petrified Wood Room

Category

Permanent