So the next morning we started at the South entrance of the park. Here we did 2 hikes and saw some really big petrified logs. One trial was aptly called Giant Logs trail. So I found the old trail guide that explains the process of how a tree becomes petrified a bit more in detail.”216 million years ago, the trees fell into a river. They were buried beneath layers of silt, mud, sand and volcanic ash, which protected them from decay. Mineral laden ground water peculated through the layers, carrying silica from the volcanic ash and other trace minerals. The silica or quartz, crystals slowly bonded with the cells of the tree. Eventually, silica replaced the wood material.” copied from *National Parks Service publication*
There are acres and acres of petrified wood. People who sale polished wood for table tops and such, find the petrified wood outside of the park.
Here is a polished peice:
Another interesting excerpt form the *National Parks Service publication* explains the why there are different colors. ” ….are due to trace minerals that soaked into the wood along with the silica. Iron minerals cause bright mustard, orange, reds, ochre, and black. Manganese minerals cause blue , purple, brown, black and the fern like patterns…”
We also hiked up a trail to see another Pueblo ruin. This one was constructed of pieces of petrified wood!
Afterwords we checked out a few gift shops, and like always- Terri makes a friend:
Here are a few more interesting pics:
Off to Mesa Verde……