jamesp favorites-Rio Grande #2

[Sabre52]

Wow, that second wood is very colorful and very agatized stuff! Rio wood is such solid material. I like that one cut both ways. Neat you did that and took pics. Very nice palm too...Mel

[jamesp]

Nov 9, 2016 20:42:21 GMT -5 orrum said:

Palm is big too!

I wanted to sit down a knap out some giant scrapers from those chert cobbles Bill.
Be a joker and make some 10 pound turtle back scrapers. I made a couple just fooling around that were too authentic looking. Perfect material.
Make up a theme of the real reason why the Rio Grande is called the Rio Grande, giant Native inhabitants that use 10 pound scrapers.
Mess w/the archeologists real bad.

I found three turtle back scrapers and few knappings. Maybe the camps were closer to the river. Was surprised at how little artifacts I found.
Spent so much time on flat ridges pointing into river washed over by high lake water. Perfect camp locations and perfect overburden removal by lake action.
I think people have picked the artifacts over.

[jamesp]

Nov 9, 2016 22:52:27 GMT -5 Sabre52 said:

Wow, that second wood is very colorful and very agatized stuff! Rio wood is such solid material. I like that one cut both ways. Neat you did that and took pics. Very nice palm too...Mel

Gotta cut them with and cross. No choice, have to see the wood structure, don't even care if they are unattractive.
Got a box of about 20 of similar size to cut on for the next few days. From the buckets. Then will get into the 20+ LFRB's.

captbob found this chert about day 1. Not the best sample to photograph and the rest was eye catching.
This pattern was common



This was probably the most common chert. Looks as if it was damaged ?, but totally healed.

[1dave]

I find all wood attractive. Interesting how some preserve the original structure and others only the outside cast.



Another ho-hum day from 225 Ma . . .



Another nearer fossil creating time period was 65 Ma when the asteroid hit Yucatan. That sent an estimated 500 ft high wave racing across Texas to at least as far as middle Colorado before washing back down. It carried house sized boulders into mid Texas.

The palm wood seems to be younger"

Within Louisiana, the occurrence of petrified palm wood is primarily restricted to the Oligocene age Catahoula Formation. Within its outcrop belt, the Catahoula Formation consists almost entirely of sediments deposited within broad, low-lying coastal plains during the Oligocene (Paine and Meyerhoff 1968). At this time, the shoreline lay within southern Louisiana. The abundance of palm wood in the Catahoula Formation clearly indicates that Louisiana had a tropical climate during the Oligocene (Berry 1916). The source of the silica within the Catahoula Formation needed to form petrified wood is hypothesized to have been volcanic ash blown in from volcanic calderas in either West Texas or central Mexico.

Petrified Palm Wood Facts, Information and Description

Petrified palm wood is the state stone of Texas and the state fossil of Louisiana. It comes from palm trees in the Oligocene Epoch, between 20 - 40 million years ago, give or take a few years.

The characteristic spotted look of palmwood is from the rod like structures within the grain of the wood. Depending upon the angle the lapidary uses to cut the stone, these structures show up as spots, tapering rods, or lines.

Petrified palm wood is a variety of chalcedony and is very hard, around 7 1/2 on the Mohs scale of hardness and takes a wonderful polish which makes it a great stone for jewelry.

[jamesp]

Nov 10, 2016 7:28:14 GMT -5 1dave said:

I find all wood attractive. Interesting how some preserve the original structure and others only the outside cast.



Another ho-hum day from 225 Ma . . .



Another nearer fossil creating time period was 65 Ma when the asteroid hit Yucatan. That sent an estimated 500 ft high wave racing across Texas to at least as far as middle Colorado before washing back down. It carried house sized boulders into mid Texas.

The palm wood seems to be younger"

Within Louisiana, the occurrence of petrified palm wood is primarily restricted to the Oligocene age Catahoula Formation. Within its outcrop belt, the Catahoula Formation consists almost entirely of sediments deposited within broad, low-lying coastal plains during the Oligocene (Paine and Meyerhoff 1968). At this time, the shoreline lay within southern Louisiana. The abundance of palm wood in the Catahoula Formation clearly indicates that Louisiana had a tropical climate during the Oligocene (Berry 1916). The source of the silica within the Catahoula Formation needed to form petrified wood is hypothesized to have been volcanic ash blown in from volcanic calderas in either West Texas or central Mexico.

Petrified Palm Wood Facts, Information and Description

Petrified palm wood is the state stone of Texas and the state fossil of Louisiana. It comes from palm trees in the Oligocene Epoch, between 20 - 40 million years ago, give or take a few years.

The characteristic spotted look of palmwood is from the rod like structures within the grain of the wood. Depending upon the angle the lapidary uses to cut the stone, these structures show up as spots, tapering rods, or lines.

Petrified palm wood is a variety of chalcedony and is very hard, around 7 1/2 on the Mohs scale of hardness and takes a wonderful polish which makes it a great stone for jewelry.

Over here in SE land there is hardly ant pet wood Dave. Lots of marine silicifications from leaching of diatomic silica cased in limestone. Hard stuff like shells and coral.
No fun stuff like lava flows and meteorite activity and tectonic stuff. Boring over here. Have to travel west with my little hammer.

Like a welder would say"scrap metal ?, no such thing". Same with pet wood, bad does not exist.

Palm root is a substantial part of a palm tree, much more random unlike the linear tubes in the trunk.

[jamesp]

The Rio Grande valley was covered in palms when the Spanish arrived. Not no more.
Seems like petrified palm is more common in the south half of the US.
Perhaps because it all washed south due to slope.

[1dave]

Nov 10, 2016 8:30:28 GMT -5 jamesp said:

The Rio Grande valley was covered in palms when the Spanish arrived. Not no more.
Seems like petrified palm is more common in the south half of the US.
Perhaps because it all washed south due to slope.

Not no more - Could it have been from those long horn cows that ate even things with spines?

"Ban the cow - Save the world!"

[snuffy]

Nov 10, 2016 7:28:14 GMT -5 1dave said:

I find all wood attractive. Interesting how some preserve the original structure and others only the outside cast.



Another ho-hum day from 225 Ma . . .



Another nearer fossil creating time period was 65 Ma when the asteroid hit Yucatan. That sent an estimated 500 ft high wave racing across Texas to at least as far as middle Colorado before washing back down. It carried house sized boulders into mid Texas.

The palm wood seems to be younger"

Within Louisiana, the occurrence of petrified palm wood is primarily restricted to the Oligocene age Catahoula Formation. Within its outcrop belt, the Catahoula Formation consists almost entirely of sediments deposited within broad, low-lying coastal plains during the Oligocene (Paine and Meyerhoff 1968). At this time, the shoreline lay within southern Louisiana. The abundance of palm wood in the Catahoula Formation clearly indicates that Louisiana had a tropical climate during the Oligocene (Berry 1916). The source of the silica within the Catahoula Formation needed to form petrified wood is hypothesized to have been volcanic ash blown in from volcanic calderas in either West Texas or central Mexico.

Petrified Palm Wood Facts, Information and Description

Petrified palm wood is the state stone of Texas and the state fossil of Louisiana. It comes from palm trees in the Oligocene Epoch, between 20 - 40 million years ago, give or take a few years.

The characteristic spotted look of palmwood is from the rod like structures within the grain of the wood. Depending upon the angle the lapidary uses to cut the stone, these structures show up as spots, tapering rods, or lines.

Petrified palm wood is a variety of chalcedony and is very hard, around 7 1/2 on the Mohs scale of hardness and takes a wonderful polish which makes it a great stone for jewelry.

I live on top of the Catahoula formation. In my location palm is scarce,but other wood is everywhere,in copius amounts.

snuffy

[jamesp]

Were going to come plow your garden and remove the 'rocks' so you don't have to wrestle with them anymore snuffy.

[jamesp]

Nov 10, 2016 8:33:06 GMT -5 1dave said:

Nov 10, 2016 8:30:28 GMT -5 jamesp said:

The Rio Grande valley was covered in palms when the Spanish arrived. Not no more.
Seems like petrified palm is more common in the south half of the US.
Perhaps because it all washed south due to slope.

Not no more - Could it have been from those long horn cows that ate even things with spines?

"Ban the cow - Save the world!"

If Texans are like Floridians they wiped out the palms.
Must say, pesky label palm seedlings get old.
They laugh at Round Up and break your back trying to remove them.
You about have to dig them out or pour salt in copious amounts which is not good.

[Sabre52]

James, I have that same kind of flowery blue gray chert all over in the creek right behind my house. Some appears to be pseudomorphs after some kind of marine life which makes sense as the whole hill is full of fossils and that crappy Texas Turritella too. Frustrating that our local rocks have so little color. Mostly all earth tones. If the turritella were black and white or the chert bright colors, it would be pretty stuff.....Mel

[1dave]

Nov 10, 2016 8:54:10 GMT -5 jamesp said:

Nov 10, 2016 8:33:06 GMT -5 1dave said:

Not no more - Could it have been from those long horn cows that ate even things with spines?

"Ban the cow - Save the world!"

If Texans are like Floridians they wiped out the palms.
Must say, pesky label palm seedlings get old.
They laugh at Round Up and break your back trying to remove them.
You about have to dig them out or pour salt in copious amounts which is not good.

So I guessed wrong. So What!
"Ban the Palm - Save the World."

See how EASY the answers are?

[jamesp]

Wife amused at spraying palm and wood with PAM frying pan grease and smearing it to get good photos.
You can not wet saw oil cut rocks and get the water to stop beading.
Vegetable base oil does the job.
Last one cut seems to have random palm fibers, guessing root on the fringes of the root ball.

This one in saw getting chopped. Has palm characteristics, any guesses. Good luck. Cross grain view.

[jamesp]

Nov 10, 2016 9:12:44 GMT -5 Sabre52 said:

James, I have that same kind of flowery blue gray chert all over in the creek right behind my house. Some appears to be pseudomorphs after some kind of marine life which makes sense as the whole hill is full of fossils and that crappy Texas Turritella too. Frustrating that our local rocks have so little color. Mostly all earth tones. If the turritella were black and white or the chert bright colors, it would be pretty stuff.....Mel

Good to know. Fossil effected patterns make perfect sense.
Chert sure seems well rounded to only have travelled from your area to Zapata.
Grinding action may have been from tall columns of soil moving with rock under tremendous grinding pressure.

[captbob]

The other half of that chert from the previous page

[jamesp]

Nov 10, 2016 9:34:53 GMT -5 captbob said:

The other half of that chert from the previous page

That, is a cool rock.

Darn good photo too. That camera you recently purchased I suppose.

[jamesp]

Red wood across the grain. The white specks are common, compare to next commonly occurring wood.



with grain, white specks



cross grain from above wood



Palm roots running random in soil ? Palm bog ?



This is wood. Skin said so. No idea what type. Small piece with, big piece across grain. Looks homogenous. Replacement possibly.
Lots of replacements. Replaced with every thing imaginable. Mostly trash.



Obvious wood with grain



Not so obvious cross grain



low grade wood, fractured



Black and gold chert ? Black plume ? Looked like it was all about plumes looking at the skin. Not attractive



Skin of above black rock



Target of trip, weird colored moss and plume biscuits

[Sabre52]

OK first off that palm rootlet thingee is super cool! Never seen one quite like it but I think bog is a good guess.

I find some of those too black too dense plumes when I cut too. Just not enough contrast to make them good ones.

Finally, don't those Texas woods make you want to pull your hair. I've got a real fine, and I might add uber expensive, wood ID book and believe me, nothing in there looks like those odd spotty Texas woods. I think either you'd have to slice them super thin and put them under a scope, or maybe, they are just too replaced for the cell structure to be easy to view. I have a very good scope here on my desk but need to find time to try for some super thin sections.

Anyway, keep the pics coming. This is a real treat....Mel

[Sabre52]

By the way, Bob dang it, cut open that first uber fancy poppy y'all found. We wanna see the innards of that one bad!....Mel

[captbob]

This one?



May already be in a tumbler, have to check my pile tomorrow.