Look at that gorgeous wood grain! This is a very nicely preserved slab from an unusual petrified log for this area. The large resin canals and the narrow band of latewood help identify this ancient petrified fossil pine as a ponderosa pine – the first I’ve seen from this diverse petrified forest! The twisted character of this trunk and the growth rings that faithfully follow those contours make me think this could have been a higher altitude pine from a harsh environment, but it mostly closely resembles Ponderosa in my reference books. The highly polished surface reveals the honeycomb conifer wood structure in exquisite detail, including the large resin canals characteristic of the pines. This is a really beautiful specimen of the petrified wood found in a desolate sagebrush desert that spans over 100 square miles on the Oregon/Nevada border. It’s a slice from a well preserved pine tree that shows great structure under a loup. At first glance (under 10x magnification) some parts of the wood shows no resin canals, but I’m convinced this is because the degree of agate replacement varies through the slab (some of the regions near the center are softer and do not polish as well). The darker areas are preserved with absolutely gorgeous gem quality agate in warm, natural wood tones forever capturing this ancient fossil. The exterior is still ash white – colored by the ancient volcanic blast that buried this prehistoric forest. The inside, however, is a richly colored array of gem quality agate that preserved the wood grain beautifully in every detail! The cell structure from the growth rings in this attractive fossil specimen are amazingly well preserved, especially in the transitions between the darker and lighter colored regions. The heart is nicely centered in the face to show the kinky arcs the growth rings took. It would really be an excellent specimen for the petrified wood identification buff. The pit that this log came from has produced a variety of exotic, high quality specimens and this one was among the best I found. The specimens from this particular dig are easily recognized by the darker and glassier than average color spectrum and agate, with the nicely contrasting very white rind (even by other McDermitt dig standards). This excellent round comes from one of Oregon’s premier petrified wood deposits known to collectors the world over. If you don’t have a specimen from this area, this would be a dandy to get you acquainted!! It’s cut from the center of a nicely shaped log that allows you to see the rays and other growth features very easily with a 10x loup (the rings are visible to the naked eye). This specimen has been carefully polished to show off all the gemmy detail inside. It’s another one of those beautiful fossil treasures that some happy Sticks-in-Stones customer is going to flip over! This round measures about 11 1/2″ x 7 3/4″ and is cut about 0.44 thick. Weight is 2.30 lbs. A nice, unique naturally wonderful stone collectible exclusively from Sticks-in-Stones Lapidary. The item “SiS 11+ PONDEROSA PINE McDermitt Oregon Petrified Wood Round” is in sale since Wednesday, December 20, 2017. This item is in the category “Collectibles\Rocks, Fossils & Minerals\Fossils\Vegetation\Petrified Wood”. The seller is “rockshop” and is located in Beaverton, Oregon. This item can be shipped worldwide.