PETRIFIED PEANUT WOOD FOR SALE

About "Peanut Wood"

Petrified peanut wood from Australia is one of the most visually distinctive types of fossilized wood, instantly recognizable by its bold white “peanut-shaped” spots set against a dark brown to black background. This remarkable material is primarily found in Western Australia, especially within the Lower Cretaceous deposits of the Carnarvon Basin. Much of it comes from the Kennedy Range and surrounding regions, where ancient driftwood was buried in marine sediments that later turned to rock. These deposits preserve a unique moment in deep time, recording the intersection of ocean life and terrestrial forests.

What makes peanut wood truly special is how it formed. The “peanuts” are actually the fossilized burrows of marine shipworms—Teredo-type clam larvae—that bored into floating conifer logs roughly 110–120 million years ago. As the wood drifted through warm Cretaceous seas, these larvae carved deep cylindrical tunnels through the soft interior. When the waterlogged logs eventually sank and were buried, mineral-rich groundwater permeated the wood, replacing organic tissues with silica. The once-empty shipworm borings filled with lighter minerals, creating the dramatic contrast that defines peanut wood. Today, this fossil tells an extraordinary story of ancient oceans, drifting Araucaria trees, and the tiny marine creatures that left their mark inside them.