Characteristics of Peanut Wood:

Chemical Name: Silicon dioxide, iron oxide

Formula: SiO_2, CaCO₃

Colors: White markings on brown, grey, green

Structure: Amorphous

Hardness: 6.5-7

Specific Gravity: 2.58-2.91

Refractive Index: 1.54

Lustre: Vitreous

Locations: Australia

What is Peanut Wood?

Also called Teredo wood, Peanut Wood is a petrified wood with white ovoid markings on its surface, giving it the appearance of peanut brittle. It comes from a conifer that grew around 120 million years ago, mainly in Australia. Its curious appearance is the work of ancient marine animals. A wood-eating cam, Teredo, tunneled into the conifer driftwood, which later sank to the seafloor. White sediment from the shells of tiny plankton then settled over the wood, filling the boreholes with concentrated levels of silicate and creating white tubes when the wood petrified.