Petrified Palmwood – Louisiana State Fossil

Petrified Palmwood
Petrified Palmwood

Petrified Palmwood is also a variety of chalcedony.  Texas named it the State Stone, but it is in fact a fossil.  Specimens found in Louisiana come from the Oligocene Epoch, roughly 20 to 40 million years ago.  Rod-like structures within the grain of the wood give it the spotted look.   These structures appear as spots, tapering rods or lines, depending on the angle of the cut.  Petrified Palmwood is common in the Toledo Bend area, and Native Americans used this material for making projectile points.  This fossil is believed to promote a connection with Earth and Nature.