Petrified Wood - Prince William Forest Park - VA - Rock and Mineral Displays on Waymarking.com

Petrified tree trunk on display in front of the park's Turkey Run Visitor Centre. Although there is no exterior sign the park website provides the following information:

"Bald cypress is a large, slow-growing but long-lived, deciduous conifer, which frequently reaches 100 to 120 feet in height and 3 to 6 feet in diameter. Its trunk is massive, tapered and buttressed. The leaves are alternate, linear and flat with blades generally spreading around the twig. The bark is thin and fibrous with an interwoven pattern of narrow flat ridges and narrow furrows. Its male and female flowers form slender tassel-like structures near the edge of the branchlets. Bald cypress trees produce cone fruit, and there are approximately 5,200 seeds per pound. It develops a taproot as well as horizontal roots that lie just below the surface and extend 20 to 50 feet before bending down. It develops knees that grow above water providing additional support.

An examination of the base of the large trunk section of the fossil tree easily demonstrates the taproot of the tree, and in the picture to the left a fine layer of quartz has developed within the inner wall of the taproot, which typically has a sort of void within its structure, allowing for the larger crystal formation over time during petrification.

How Old was the Tree When it Fell?

The larger of the two specimens, which has the truck section intact and is located outside of the visitor center, measures an average of two feet in diameter at the distal (narrow) end and 3'4" to 4'6" in variation across the bottom of the trunk. The length of the large specimen is approximately 6' on the average. On the distal end is a section of rings that are clearly visible and cover approximately 5" of radius before the mineralization of the tree obliterates the ring structures. There is a distinct bark ring surrounding the large specimen which varies in thickness between 1-1/2" to 1-3/4" and almost 3" thick on the trunk end. Allowing for this thick bark at the distal end, there is then a total of 40 rings clearly seen in the five inches of radius that is visible. Assuming that the rate of growth of the tree was normal and regular, without droughts or other interferences, we can say that the ring density is approximately eight rings per inch, given 40 rings within 5 inches seen. With a radius of 12 inches, subtracting 1 inch for bark, that would give us 11" of tree left, placing the approximate age of the tree at around 88-90 years of age before falling.

There are no rings visible on the other fossilized wood located outside of the Turkey Run Education Center. This is due to the mineralization and likely fracture of the ends at time of collapse. Because these fractured ends will lead to a blurring of rings and heavier mineralization, a more accurate ring count can be made in both cases by making a cross-section of each of the specimens perpendicular to the long axis of the specimens. Calculating the circumference of the second specimen using geometric formulas it is determined that the fossil has a circumference of a minimum of 6'. The diameter is an estimate because there are deformities in the outer surface of the tree with unequal mineralization."

The Turkey Run Visitor Center is open daily, closing at 1700. The trunk is available for viewing at any time.

Type of Display: Geological

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Date Logged Log   09/27/2021 petendot visited it