Arizona is one of those American states that we usually associate with high winds and dryness, a desert landscape that dries out skin and makes it dangerous to stand in the sun.
Because people used to travel to the West to try their
hand at silver mining and other business ventures, it has served as the
backdrop for numerous Hollywood westerns. Arizona represents the free-spirited,
carefree way of life of both contemporary and historical American
individualism.
Although the state of Arizona doesn't have the typical
landscape that we associate with forests and wooded areas, it did once, many
millions of years ago. In fact, the northeastern region of the state is home to
the Petrified Forest National Park.
The Late Triassic period, some 225 million years ago, is when the history of Arizona's petrified wood began.
It is one of the most popular natural tourist destinations in the world and a wealth of research material. The park is located at an elevation of more than 5,000 feet and spans nearly 150 square miles. Nowadays, the majority of its vegetation is made up of desert plants like cacti and grasses.
As difficult as it may seem, 225 million years ago,
Arizona was impacted by ash-spewing volcanoes and bordered a sea on its western
side.
He landed in the current day. Back then, Arizona was home to a verdant subtropical forest that was home to the progenitors of modern conifers.
Many of the trees that made up the forest submerged themselves in the soggy earth as the water receded, and they stayed there stuck deep underground, away from air and microscopic creatures that could harm them and cause them to rot.
These days, those trees—which have essentially dried up
and petrified—provide an incredible source of information for scientists,
archaeologists, and other specialists attempting to piece together the past
appearance and evolution of the region.
Not only are old, fossilized trees studied by scientists,
but the park's earth also contains dinosaurs, lizards, and a variety of other
extinct animals. Many centuries ago, crocodiles and snails were also common
there.
Volcanic ash from neighboring volcano eruptions covered the region, introducing silica into the groundwater.
What's inside the fossilized, or petrified, trees is
especially fascinating. Opal, a stone that is regarded as semi-precious and is
used to create exquisite rings and other jewelry, is found in one trunk.
Experts discovered this trunk filled with opal lines this past spring, in March
2020. Even in this strangely desolate but stunning location, this finding was
remarkable and unusual.
Through a process called "capillary attraction," the wood absorbed silica as groundwater passed through, enabling fossilization to take place.
When wood sinks into wet soil and remains there, it
petrifies. Minerals can reach it through the sediment, but other than that, the
common causes of decay are blocked. Because they are found in the groundwater
where the wood is resting, minerals can reach it.
Volcanic ash from neighboring volcano eruptions covered the region, introducing silica into the groundwater.
All of the plant material eventually gives way to minerals like silica and pyrite, also referred to as "fools' gold." The latter substance eventually crystallized and changed into quartz. The interior of the wood developed into an incredibly beautiful rainbow of colors over time and with the addition of other minerals.
Experts believe that this national park is likely the
world's biggest and busiest petrified forest. It is still a wonderful place to
see up close and personal what the vegetation and landscape of Arizona once
looked like, and it continues to offer both experts and casual visitors alike
an amazing array of visual delights.
Through a process called "capillary attraction," the wood absorbed silica as groundwater passed through, enabling fossilization to take place.
It serves as a breathtaking reminder of how nature never stops changing the surroundings, the forests and rivers that we all take for granted.
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The park offers a satisfying look into how landscapes grow and change, how plants become fossils, and the power of minerals to carve wood and turn it into something entirely new – but equally beautiful – whether one visits it as a tourist or an expert, to work or to tour its natural attractions.
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