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Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona

Below: Banded layers highlight the Painted Desert.



Below: There are ancient Puebloan ruins and petroglyphs in several areas of the park.



Below: About 225 million years ago this section of the North American Plate was close to the equator and a sub-tropical forest grew here. Fallen trees petrified remarkably well. There are about nine species of petrified trees in the park; all are extinct today.



Below: Trees became saturated with groundwater-dissolved silica which formed quartz crystals that gradually replaced the organic matter. Traces of iron oxide and other substances combined with the silica to create beautiful colors in the petrified wood.









Below: A large black Raven keeps watch over the park.