Which chakra does Collawood work with?

Collawood is traditionally associated with the Root · Heart chakra, the element of Earth · Water, and the sign Virgo · Cancer.

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Entry № 165

Collawood

Q: What is Collawood made of?

Collawood has the chemical formula SiO₂·nH₂O replacing original cellulose, crystallises in the amorphous (opal) system and measures 5.5 – 6.5 (Mohs) on the Mohs scale. Collawood is a trade name for opalised fossil wood from the Creede caldera in Colorado, in which silica-rich groundwater percolating through Oligocene volcanic sediments replaced the original cellulose cell by cell with common (non-precious) opal, SiO₂·nH₂O. Iron oxides picked up from the host tuffs give the warm ochre banding that traces the ancient wood grain.

Opalised Fossil Wood (Creede, Colorado)

Ancient wood re-cast in common opal.

Chakra

Root · Heart

Element

Earth · Water

Zodiac

Virgo · Cancer

I. The Metaphysical Reading

How the stone has been held.

Collawood is held as a stone of long memory, worked with in ancestor practice, grief tending and any ritual that honours the slow turning of a life into something else. Practitioners keep it nearby as a reminder that endings can be preserved rather than erased.

Chakra: Root · Heart
Element: Earth · Water
Zodiac: Virgo · Cancer
Keynote: Ancient wood re-cast in common opal.

II. The Scientific Reading

What the lattice actually does.

Collawood is a trade name for opalised fossil wood from the Creede caldera in Colorado, in which silica-rich groundwater percolating through Oligocene volcanic sediments replaced the original cellulose cell by cell with common (non-precious) opal, SiO₂·nH₂O. Iron oxides picked up from the host tuffs give the warm ochre banding that traces the ancient wood grain.

Formula: SiO₂·nH₂O replacing original cellulose
System: Amorphous (opal)
Hardness: 5.5 – 6.5 (Mohs)
Provenance: USA — Creede region, Colorado

References & Sources

Independent mineralogical references used to verify the scientific details above.

Mineral Profile

Fact Sheet

Chemical Formula: SiO₂·nH₂O replacing original cellulose
Crystal System: Amorphous (opal)
Mohs Hardness: 5.5 – 6.5 (Mohs)
Density: 1.98 – 2.25 g/cm³
Refractive Index: 1.37 – 1.47
Provenance: USA — Creede region, Colorado
Color Origin: Milky white and cream shot with ochre and rust bands following wood grain