Petrified Forest National Park

Petrified Forest National Park is an American national park in the Navajo and Apache counties along the northeastern area of Arizona. The name comes from the parks feature of one of the world’s largest and most colorful concentrations of petrified wood, and the chargeable area of the park covers about 230 square miles. The Petrified Forest is known for its fossils, especially its fallen trees that lived in the Late Triassic Epoch, which was about 225 million years ago. The remains containing the fossil logs are part of the widespread and colorful Chinle Formation, from which the Desert gets its name. 

Petrified Forest National Park

Petrified wood is a fossil, and it forms when plant material is buried by remains and protected from decay due to oxygen and organisms. Some specimens of petrified wood are such accurate preservations that people do not realize they are fossils until they pick them up and are shocked by their weight. These specimens with near-perfect preservation are unusual, and rare. However, specimens that exhibit clearly recognizable bark and woody structures are very common. In August 1916, the National Park Service was created by the Organic Act, it was approved by Congress and later signed by President Woodrow Wilson. This federal bureau within the Department of the Interior was now responsible for protecting the 40 national parks and monuments then in existence and those yet to be established. The purpose of the service was to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wild life therein and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations. Animal life at Petrified Forest includes amphibians, birds, insects, spiders, mammals, and reptiles. Birds, lizards and rabbits are seen most frequently, though seasons and weather play a large role in determining what animals are active. Many animals in the park are nocturnal, which is an adaptation not only to avoid high summer daytime temperatures, but also to avoid certain predators.

The Painted Desert

Furthermore, the top attraction of the forest is called the Painted Desert. It is a U.S. desert in the badlands which is apart Four Corners area running from near the east end of Grand Canyon National Park into Petrified Forest National Park. It is most easily accessed in the north portion of Petrified Forest National Park. The Painted Desert is known for its brilliant and varied colors, that not only include the more common red rock, but also shades of lavender.

-Jonathan Oniyama