Is it a tree made of wood or stone? Would you believe stone!
One of the most interesting attractions to visit in Northern Arizona is the Petrified Forest National Park. This park has one of the largest petrified wood deposits in the world.....several American Indian tribes have ancestral ties to this place, and in recent times, Route 66 passed through this park.
Upon entering the welcome center we learned about the dinosaur bones and fossils which have been found
We learned about how wood becomes petrified.....A log is petrified when all of its original plant material is infilled or replaced by minerals. Approximately 216 million years ago, these trees died and fell into a river. They were buried beneath layers of silt, mud, sand, and volcanic ash, which protected them from decay. Mineral laden ground water percolated through the layers, carrying silica from the volcanic ash and other trace minerals. The absorbent dead wood became saturated with these minerals. the silica, or quartz, crystals slowly bonded with the cells of the tree replicating the organic material in perfect detail. Eventually, silica replaced the wood material.
Now this forest is not made of wood but stone. The petrified logs' brilliant colors are due to trace minerals that soaked into the wood along with the silica. Iron minerals provide bright mustard, orange, rich reds, ochre, and black. Manganese minerals cause blue, purple, brown, black, and fern like patterns.
On our hikes, we saw a 1932 Studebaker sitting where the famed Route 66 once cut through the park.
We visited the Agate Bridge which is a 110 ft. petrified log spanning a gully.
We visited Blue Mesa which has beautiful layers of color..and last but not least, the Painted Desert Inn which was built by Fred Harvey and who brought the Harvey Girls to serve the customers..Remember the movie starring Judy Garland called The Harvey Girls...well this was one of his restaurants.
Mother Nature is awesome!
Upon entering the welcome center we learned about the dinosaur bones and fossils which have been found
We learned about how wood becomes petrified.....A log is petrified when all of its original plant material is infilled or replaced by minerals. Approximately 216 million years ago, these trees died and fell into a river. They were buried beneath layers of silt, mud, sand, and volcanic ash, which protected them from decay. Mineral laden ground water percolated through the layers, carrying silica from the volcanic ash and other trace minerals. The absorbent dead wood became saturated with these minerals. the silica, or quartz, crystals slowly bonded with the cells of the tree replicating the organic material in perfect detail. Eventually, silica replaced the wood material.
Now this forest is not made of wood but stone. The petrified logs' brilliant colors are due to trace minerals that soaked into the wood along with the silica. Iron minerals provide bright mustard, orange, rich reds, ochre, and black. Manganese minerals cause blue, purple, brown, black, and fern like patterns.
On our hikes, we saw a 1932 Studebaker sitting where the famed Route 66 once cut through the park.
We visited the Agate Bridge which is a 110 ft. petrified log spanning a gully.
We visited Blue Mesa which has beautiful layers of color..and last but not least, the Painted Desert Inn which was built by Fred Harvey and who brought the Harvey Girls to serve the customers..Remember the movie starring Judy Garland called The Harvey Girls...well this was one of his restaurants.
Mother Nature is awesome!
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