Petrified Forest -- Last Post

I know that I have posted way too many pictures of petrified wood.  But I must admit -- I could not reduce the number.  The whole park is something special.

Petrified wood scattered everywhere...

Amazing erosion patterns.....

More color....

The Triassic ecosystem in which these large trees grew is depicted in the graphic below.

 

In the Crystal Forest within the park, people have removed the crystals in some of the petrified wood sections.

 

The petrified tree below is around 120 feet long.

The trees blown down and then covered by silica-rich ash during the Mount St. Helens eruption may someday develop into petrified wood.

The birds were begging....

The petrified log shown below was sticking out of the sedimentary rock.