Friday May 4, 2013
Good morning family and friends. We are headed to the Petrified Forest near Holbrook Arizona.
Many of you might ask what is a petrified forest. Well, I knew a little about it but Dennis and I were not familiar with the exact process. I will explain as we progress through the day.
On the way to the Forest we road down Route 66 for a mile or so and saw this motel. It is on the Historic registrar.
Saw this restaurant as well.
As I mentioned in yesterdays blog, we went to a store that sold the petrified wood and we were amazed with the price. We saw a piece of rock that we thought would fit the bistro table we bought in Mississippi but it was $2400. Our eyes opened quickly and our hearts skipped a beat. We are retired not wealthy and need to save enough to get back home. We are not in Kansas and we don't have any ruby red slippers. I only mention this because Dennis reminded me of the Great Wizard when he was practicing flying the balloon in the simulator at the Balloon Museum.
Okay back to the forest. Does the tree make any noise when it falls if no one is there to hear it. Well many years ago, 200 million or more, these trees fell and were covered over with water. The scientists discovered that the continents that we know today were actually connected but as the sea levels rose the continents began to split. This area of trees (petrified wood) is the largest in the United States. You can find petrified wood in all 50 states but this is the largest concentration of it.
The trees laid on the ground and then became covered with sand and sediment and any thing else that comes with a body of water and then the tree sat for many years. As the water receded and as the earth eroded from the trees then they are left exposed. Since years have passed and the land has changed the trees have become rock, petrified wood.
This is the best way that I can explain it. I am sure I have missed the scientific terminology but hopefully you will understand, you could google it!
Dennis did!!!
Petrified wood (from the Greek root petro meaning "rock" or "stone"; literally "wood turned into stone") is the name given to a special type of fossilized remains of terrestrial vegetation. It is the result of a tree or tree-like plants having completely transitioned to stone by the process of permineralization. All the organic materials have been replaced with minerals (mostly a silicate, such as quartz), while retaining the original structure of the stem tissue. Unlike other types of fossils which are typically impressions or compressions, petrified wood is a three-dimensional representation of the original organic material. The petrifaction process occurs underground, when wood becomes buried under sediment and is initially preserved due to a lack of oxygen which inhibits aerobic decomposition. Mineral-laden water flowing through the sediment deposits minerals in the plant's cells; as the plant's lignin and cellulose decay, a stone mould forms in its place.
Petrified wood can preserve the original structure of the stem in all its detail, down to the microscopic level. Structures such as tree rings and the various tissues are often observed features.
Petrified wood is a fossil in which the organic remains have been replaced by minerals in the slow process of being replaced with stone. This petrification process generally results in a Quartz Chalcedony mineralization. Special rare conditions must be met in order for the fallen stem to be transformed into Fossil Wood or Petrified Wood. In general, the fallen plants get buried in an environment free of oxygen (anaerobic environment), which preserves the original plant structure and general appearance. The other conditions include a regular access to mineral rich water flowing through the tissues, replacing the organic plant structure with inorganic stone. The end result is petrified wood, a plant, with its original basic structure in place, replaced by stone. This process could occur in less than one thousand years.[citation needed] Exotic minerals allow the rare red and green hues that can be seen in more rare specimens
Oh my lets just get back to how beautiful this park really is. Here are some pictures.
You can not take any pieces out of the park.
Looks like a tree, was a tree, but now a rock.
They were all petrified wood.
Need a fork lift to move most of them, could not hall this one out on the bike.
Look at the colors.
This one is called "Old Faithful", it was enormous.
Might have been the best example of the process. As the ground erodes the log/rock is exposed.
You can touch, just don't take.
There was not much wild life in the park because of the heat and rocky surfaces. Believe it or not we saw the three most prominent species. Some type of deer, ravens, and lizards.
One area was called the Crystal Forest where most of the rock/petrified wood was pretty clear crystal looking.
As we progressed through the park we stopped at Newspaper Rock. Not sure if you will be able to see the petroglyphs that are etched in the stone. We had to zoom in for the pictures. Couldn't get close.
From there we road to the painted desert. Just look at the colors in this area.
We continued to The Painted Desert Inn National Historic Landmark which was renovated in the the 1930's. This was on the the old route 66 and was a highlight back in the day.
What a beautiful National Park. A great day looking at petrified wood, rock, fossils. It was truly amazing to see what nature can do!
From there we went back to the campground, walked over to the little store and bought a few groceries and then relaxed before supper.
Watched a little TV, tired and went to bed so we could hit the road in the morning. Who knows where we will be????????
Robin and Dennis
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