On May 14, 2016, the HGMS held a field trip to familiar hunting grounds in East Texas, just south of Sam Rayburn Reservoir. The field trip was made possible by Joe Liggio, HGMS member and a retired botanist with the State of Texas. Joe arranged the trip through his friend Keith Stephens, a land use forester with Campbell Global, who allowed us access onto timber company land and accompanied us on the trip. The trip was organized on the HGMS side by Mike Dawkins, Field Trip Chair for the Paleo Section.

Scott Singleton wrote a summary of the trip, which was published in the July 2016 BBG. He also describes the geology of the area, in which the streams preferentially lie on or near the top of the resistant sticky clay of the Oligocene Catahoula Formation. The petrified wood weathers out of the basal several feet of the overlying Miocene Fleming Formation. He then goes into the identification of wood found in these sediments.

Also see another blog on petrified wood hunting in this same area, and a subsequent article by Scott Singleton on petrified wood in Texas.

The access point to the stream within the cleared pipeline and powerline corridor.

Palm stem found by the author at the point of entry into the stream. This specimen was at my feet as I was standing in the stream describing the geology of the locality. Terry Proctor is shown in the background.

A stream gravel bar cluttered with large pieces of petrified wood. The long log in the middle is a modern-day fallen log (unfortunately).

Two pieces of petrified wood in situ within the lower portion of the Fleming Formation. The Catahoula Formation is in the lower portion of the picture, with the formation boundary being about 6″ above the waterline.

View upstream showing a waterfall formed as the stream eroded into the Catahoula Formation. In the distance the stream is following along the top of the formation.