This morning we set off early to find some petrified wood. The Petrified Forest is part of the Painted Desert. Around 217 million years ago this area was near the equator and very tropical. It has slowly moved north and east. The petrified trees are conifers. It is surmised that the trees died, fell into a stream and were carried downstream where they were covered by sand and mud which prevented decay. The silica in the water caused the organic material to be replaced by quartz crystals which fossilized or petrified the trees. We saw stumps where the tree rings were so clear amd huge trunks just laying om the groumd. There were a lot of places selling petrified wood. The park service assured us that this as being collected on private lands so we bought a few small souvenirs. John was angling for a big stump piece but we just couldn't figure how to fit it in our packed minivan-ha ha!
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