Identifying Fossil Woods
This 2-part video series is meant as a high-level overview of how fossilized wood can be identified. This involves learning how to recognize certain cell types and configurations. It also typically requires at least a 10x hand lens as is normally carried by geologists when doing field studies. This simple, cheap and easy-to-find piece of equipment is a must for any rockhound.
Overview of Fossil Wood ID, Part 1 (Softwoods and Hardwoods)
Part 1 covers basic wood anatomy terms that are needed when looking at fossil wood specimens. This information is then used to identify common petrified softwoods such as bald cypress and cedar, and hardwoods such as oak, elm, and legume, all of which are found in the Texas fossil record.
Overview of Fossil Wood ID, Part 2 (Monocots and Ferns)
Part 2 is meant to follow part 1 and covers more difficult specimens such as monocots (i.e. palm) and ferns, both of which are found in the Texas fossil record