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Just Ask Devin!
Shane from San Marcos, TX asks:
Hi! I am a rock hound searching for large specimens of
Petrified Wood and A LOT of it too for my backyard landscaping project. Do
you know where in Texas I can go to find large and/or unusual pieces -
basketball size to anything 3 three men could pick up?? Your help will be
appreciated as for the last 8 years of looking I have only been able to
find grapefruit sizes and smaller...
Devin says:
For the answer to this questions we went straight to
Scott Singleton from the Houston
Gem & Mineral Society and he says:
Shane:
Actually, there is a lot of petrified in Texas. You are correct in your
comment that it usually isn't laying around any more--too many people are
looking for it. I initially had a hard time, too, until I started making
contacts within the rockhounding community. But you just have to know
where to go if you want to find lots of it or if you're looking for big
pieces. Let me give you two examples below:
One zone that has lots of wood is the Calvert Bluff Fm of the Wilcox Group
(early Eocene, ~50-55 mybp). This formation runs through Seguin, Lockhart,
Bastrop, and Rockdale. There are a couple of houses built entirely of
petrified wood in Rockdale. The wood is relatively dark and ugly and,
thus, is used mostly for building materials. There is a guy on the north
side of Taylor who sells it to landscaping companies for the same purpose
that you want it. His name is Ed Jonas and his phone number is
512-365-2813.
Another zone is the Yegua Fm (mid Eocene, ~40-45 mybp). This formation
runs through Gonzales, Smithville, Giddings, College Station, and
Madisonville. Cook's Point is one of several locations that have one or
more houses built of petrified wood. The Yegua is a thick formation and
wood is very plentiful most places you go along the formation. Look for
stream beds and new construction. I know several people who have piles of
this material in their back yards. I can introduce you to one or more of
them if you wish.
There is another similar occurrence of large, plentiful wood in east
Texas, north of Jasper, but that is starting to get a little far from you.
I hope this helps.
Regards,
Scott Singleton
Houston Gem and Mineral Society
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