Petrified Forest National Park rocks, literally, for within the boundaries of this national park in northern Arizona one finds vast deposits of colorful petrified wood. Some pieces are small, perhaps the size of a fingernail, weathered and torn away from a larger piece. Other pieces are huge, measuring more than nine feet in diameter.
Looking out over the colorful badlands of the park, it is hard to imagine that back when the trees grew – some 225 million years ago – this area was a lush tropical forest, teeming with large mammals and reptiles. Earth was one land mass called Pangea, and what would eventually become Arizona was located near the equator.
Tropical conifers grew to heights of over 125 feet and some trees were nearly ten feet in diameter. Streams and rivers ran past low hills and swamps through which large amphibians and reptiles crawled looking for small prey to eat. As trees died they fell into streams and rivers and were carried away, tangling together as they sank. Seeds and leaves from other plants also fell into the rivers and as time passed, more and more plants and animals were buried and eventually fossilized.
Today, after centuries of erosion, these long buried tree fossils are exposed and visible along the park’s twenty-eight mile road. Because this is a national park, rock collecting isn’t allowed. Rock hounds needn't be disappointed, though. Petrified wood collected from outside of the park's boundary is sold at the two Fred Harvey gift shops in the park.
Next time: Your visit to the Petrified Forest
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Petrified wood can be found throughout the world, but
the Petrified Forest National Park is known for having a
vast and colorful field of ancient fossilized trees.
Comments
Great article! I hope I can visit again sometime.
Betsy Haynes
Very interesting article. I'll look forward to the next one.
Badlands with petrified trees sounds like a fantastic place.
I have been to the petrified forest and it is truly a beautiful vision. I enjoyed this article and would like to read more if possible.
Thank You, L. Alo
Great Article! Can't wait to read more.
Great article, been to the petrified forest and found it not only beautiful but a little spooky also. Tell us more.
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