How These Trees Turned Into Rocks (Petrified Forest Explained)

Back to the world of geology! This time for an explainer on the process that created the Petrified Forest of Petrified Forest National Park: Petrification. Did I mention that this video is about petrification? Petrification.
Anyway, this is a really cool and unique geological process that gives us unprecedented levels of access to the inner workings of organisms that lived hundreds of millions of years ago and gave rise to the world's largest collection of petrified wood, which is now preserved for us as a wonderful National Park. Enjoy!
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Sources and Resources:
• What is petrified wood...
• Petrified Wood
• How Trees Get Petrified
www.nps.gov/pefo/learn/nature...
• Petrified Forest Natio...
ucmp.berkeley.edu/paleo/fossi...
www.fossilera.com/pages/petri...
powershandcrafted.com/blogs/n...
web.archive.org/web/201509072...
www.arizonahighways.com/blog/...
www.nps.gov/flfo/learn/nature...
Images and Music:
Storyblocks
NPS (Scott T Williams, Andrew Kearns)
Wikimedia Commons (Falconaumanni)

Пікірлер: 492

  • @naomiezquivel8630
    @naomiezquivel863011 ай бұрын

    I visited Petrified Forest National Park last year. Not only is the petrified wood abundant and absolutely stunning, but the landscape is so surreal. Multicolored badlands and striking formations. It definitely exceeded my expectations.

  • @NationalParkDiaries

    @NationalParkDiaries

    11 ай бұрын

    I've heard so many good things. Can't wait to get out there myself!

  • @aff77141

    @aff77141

    11 ай бұрын

    Absolutely, I was really skeptical but my dad's degree is geology and it was his birthday month so it was an absolute must. my favorite was blue mesa, just spectacular, especially at dusk

  • @naomiezquivel8630

    @naomiezquivel8630

    11 ай бұрын

    @@aff77141 Blue Mesa was also my favorite hike! I felt like I was on another planet. I've been to Badlands National Park also, but the Blue Mesa formations were so unique and different.

  • @andrewbrady3139

    @andrewbrady3139

    11 ай бұрын

    Ya, I went there 30 something years ago when I was a kid. Back when you could still walk around the rim of Meteor crater. When I went back to Meteor crater two years ago and asked about walking around the rim, the lady looked at me like I was crazy. Oh how times have changed. But ya, lots of cool things around the petrified forest.

  • @rebeccabilbrey3524

    @rebeccabilbrey3524

    9 ай бұрын

    It used to have even more petrified trees there in the 50s and 60s. For a period of time fossils were stolen from the park. Now the remaining fossils are protected and thieves are prosecuted.

  • @mtcynthus
    @mtcynthus11 ай бұрын

    Retired geologist here. The sequence from 3:18 to 3:28 is not logs or fossils of any kind; it’s showing columnar basalt broken off. I don’t know where this is, but it’s definitely not the Petrified Forest area. Thanks for all your videos!

  • @NationalParkDiaries

    @NationalParkDiaries

    11 ай бұрын

    Ah, good catch, thanks for the correction!

  • @lotto88lot

    @lotto88lot

    10 ай бұрын

    I am glad for your clarification 😊, cause I aware that , too!

  • @scottnorton2633

    @scottnorton2633

    9 ай бұрын

    Muddfossill university anyone check ✔️ him out ?

  • @MasterKenfucius

    @MasterKenfucius

    9 ай бұрын

    So, I have a question for the geologist. The wood is replaced by silica, calcite, and pyrite. There is no wood left, right? Isn't "petrified wood" is a very misleading name? All that happened was that a mold filled up with other stuff. Don't we just have a "filled mold" of what the log used to look like?

  • @aaronh1372

    @aaronh1372

    9 ай бұрын

    ​@@MasterKenfuciusPet wood cannot be anymore definitive. The filled mold concept is fossilization. However, this is more complex than a mere fossil. Petrafaction (petra=rock) is the process that the organic matter has undergone to create these pieces of art we see today. What organic matter was petrified? Wood. Hence, pet wood.

  • @charliepetricone8974
    @charliepetricone89749 ай бұрын

    My wife and myself visited the park many years ago and it's stunning. I purchased a piece of petrified wood while there and it sits on my desk at home. It had been cut so you can see the gorgeous colors. I think it's so cool having something hundreds of millions of years old on my desk.

  • @meganstahlberger608
    @meganstahlberger60811 ай бұрын

    I appreciate the HP reference. I didn't realize that this used to be a rainforest...

  • @NationalParkDiaries

    @NationalParkDiaries

    11 ай бұрын

    Yeah! Crazy how different these places can look over the course of a few million years...

  • @edmartin875

    @edmartin875

    2 ай бұрын

    Yep, climate change in action on a millions of years scale.

  • @tregonzo
    @tregonzo11 ай бұрын

    Take nothing but memories, leave nothing but footprints.

  • @NationalParkDiaries

    @NationalParkDiaries

    11 ай бұрын

    👆👆👆

  • @ZongTaVEVO

    @ZongTaVEVO

    2 ай бұрын

    😗

  • @benmcreynolds8581
    @benmcreynolds858111 ай бұрын

    I think crystalized petrified wood is some of the most beautiful & diverse rocks you can find. It's gorgeous. There is a awesome place here in Oregon where you can find it.

  • @NationalParkDiaries

    @NationalParkDiaries

    11 ай бұрын

    It really is stunning! I love how the different impurities in the water created such spectacular colors and how diverse that distribution is across a given landscape.

  • @TheMrZombified
    @TheMrZombified11 ай бұрын

    Excellent information here.I learned something today.Thanks.

  • @NationalParkDiaries

    @NationalParkDiaries

    11 ай бұрын

    Glad I could help, thanks for watching!

  • @michaeljdauben
    @michaeljdauben10 ай бұрын

    I did an extended trip to AZ a few years ago. My friend and I hit Petrified Forest, Monument Valley, and Grand Canyon. It was an amazing trip.

  • @NationalParkDiaries

    @NationalParkDiaries

    10 ай бұрын

    Sounds great, glad you had fun!

  • @ElleyKnowsRocks
    @ElleyKnowsRocks6 ай бұрын

    Petrified wood is one of my favorite minerals to go find. I’ve been to the petrified forest in Arizona once it was stunning my trip was cut short because it started to downpour and I had to leave. But it is the most amazingly colorful landscape of petrified wood

  • @NationalParkDiaries

    @NationalParkDiaries

    5 ай бұрын

    Sounds like an awesome experience - can't wait to see it myself one day!

  • @gtbkts
    @gtbkts11 ай бұрын

    Thanks for the awesome content and amazing videos!!!

  • @NationalParkDiaries

    @NationalParkDiaries

    11 ай бұрын

    Thank you for watching!

  • @TheReelDiehl
    @TheReelDiehl11 ай бұрын

    OMG THANK YOU DUDE! Foreal one of my favorite places and to hear it spoke on from one of my favorite channels is so cool! I loved the shout out, so thank you! Again, if you’re ever in Missouri, I have amazing and wonderful things to show you along our National Scenic River ways!

  • @NationalParkDiaries

    @NationalParkDiaries

    11 ай бұрын

    So glad I could bring you this story - thanks for watching and for the suggestion! I'll be sure to let you know next time I'm in the Show Me State!

  • @n8dawg640
    @n8dawg640Ай бұрын

    I am a geologist and i absolutely loved the park, was there late last year. A few things; 1: as far as I’m aware, it’s unlikely that these were buried by rivers as the rocks are mostly claystone. There are sandstone layers but they are laterally extensive and thus are likely not river deposits. These trees look a lot more like they were deposited within a flood deposit and quickly buried that way. 2: mineralization can be quite quick, with examples of organisms being completely mineralized within 5 years. It doesn’t have to take millions of years to replace the cells with quartz or calcite or opal or whatever else mineralizes. In fact, it’s likely that the process taking that long would still result in the tree mostly decomposing away. These probably didn’t take terribly long at all to mineralize. It’s incredibly cool and a park that a lot of people miss! Also, theft is not as big of a deal as everybody makes it out to be, i highly recommend visiting a museum at the south entrance where they have an exhibit discussing theft and the perseverance of the resources and enjoyment of the park. Take heart! Humanity has not yet been lost

  • @Cheezicows
    @Cheezicows11 ай бұрын

    I'd like to see you do a video on/trip to the Dry Tortugas

  • @NationalParkDiaries

    @NationalParkDiaries

    11 ай бұрын

    Ooooooh boy, Dry Tortugas is high on my list. I'd love to do an overnighter there along with a story. I've got a few I could probably make from the studio, but being able to tell one from the field is definitely something I want to do on this channel at some point. I'll probably try and do it with a larger South Florida trip. Thanks for the suggestion!

  • @curiousworld7912
    @curiousworld791211 ай бұрын

    I know this is irrelevant to the discussion of how wood petrifies, but I'm struck by the beauty of one things, over time, turning into something equally beautiful and utterly different in composition.

  • @NationalParkDiaries

    @NationalParkDiaries

    11 ай бұрын

    I couldn't agree more! The changes this planet has seen over the course of millions and billions of years are simply fascinating and the fact that we can see glimpses of them in our lives today is really something special.

  • @johnchedsey1306
    @johnchedsey130611 ай бұрын

    Petrified NPS is easily one of my favorite parks. Now that I live in Arizona, I usually make it a point to visit once a year and picking a different season. The unique desert landscape is just as fascinating as the petrified logs themselves. It's also just a peaceful feeling place, perhaps due to the vastness of the landscape. Now that I've watched this video, I'm already contemplating another weekend trip there to do more exploring.

  • @NationalParkDiaries

    @NationalParkDiaries

    11 ай бұрын

    I'm jealous I can't visit more often! I also enjoy visiting landscapes at different points throughout the year. I find it's a really great way to get to know a place really intimately and observe subtle changes you wouldn't otherwise get with singular visits. I do this a lot with the deciduous forests I live by here in the East, but I bet the way the light changes over the desert throughout the year is also spectacular. Enjoy your trip!

  • @johnchedsey1306

    @johnchedsey1306

    11 ай бұрын

    @@NationalParkDiaries I deliberately choose Arizona for my new home because of the proximity to so many national parks and monuments. I figure as I'm getting older, I better go out and appreciate this stuff as much as possible before they put me in a nursing home! Hope you get more opportunities to visit the western parks!

  • @randallg219
    @randallg21911 ай бұрын

    I visited this park last spring, it was incredible.

  • @NationalParkDiaries

    @NationalParkDiaries

    11 ай бұрын

    Very cool, glad you had a good time!

  • @Steveofthejungle8
    @Steveofthejungle811 ай бұрын

    Loved Petrified Forest! Such a unique experience compared to all the other national parks! Plus you have to stop and stand on the corner in Winslow Arizona haha

  • @NationalParkDiaries

    @NationalParkDiaries

    11 ай бұрын

    Totally agreed! Haven't been myself yet, but I'm fascinated with unique geologic areas like this. Really cool to have in the National Park System.

  • @EarthAltar

    @EarthAltar

    11 ай бұрын

    It's only worth it if girls in flatbed Fords slow down to take a look at you.

  • @JackFalltrades
    @JackFalltrades10 ай бұрын

    I visited in 2016 or 2017. It's a beautiful place. They do sell pieces of petrified wood found _outside_ the park. The building used to film the 1936 Humphrey Bogart movie, _The Petrified Forest_ is still there. 😊

  • @NationalParkDiaries

    @NationalParkDiaries

    10 ай бұрын

    Didn't know they shot a Bogart movie there, so cool!

  • @kenwells7128
    @kenwells712811 ай бұрын

    200 million years ago! Amazing, fantastic, practically unbelievable. Petrified over millions of years!

  • @generalleigh7387

    @generalleigh7387

    9 ай бұрын

    I knew I’d find my people by looking for the comments without hearts 😂

  • @keyboardheroism

    @keyboardheroism

    8 ай бұрын

    Not millions of years..

  • @BonesJones946
    @BonesJones94611 ай бұрын

    Petrified Forest NP isn't the easiest park to get to but it is definitely worth the trip! I spent a few days at the park this spring and it is so much more than just the petrified logs, which are amazing! The Blue Badlands are other worldly, there is fantastic wildlife, ancient pueblo villages, and Route 66 history. Such a great park couldn't recommend it enough!

  • @NationalParkDiaries

    @NationalParkDiaries

    11 ай бұрын

    Hearing so many good things about it and can't wait to get out there myself one of these days. So glad you had a good trip!

  • @johnchedsey1306

    @johnchedsey1306

    11 ай бұрын

    Considering I-40 goes through a portion of the park, it seems very easy to get to...if you have decided on it as a destination or part of a longer trip. Totally doable as part of a Grand Canyon trip.

  • @koslund11
    @koslund1111 ай бұрын

    Didn't have much time to spend at the park but did enjoy it. The volunteer ranger kept an eye on us I asked him if it's alright to pick up small pieces. He said I could that it's illegal to take any. I seen the fence they had to put up around the black obsidian mountain in Yellowstone. One rock at a time, with a million or more people wanting some, it won't be preserved for future generations.

  • @NationalParkDiaries

    @NationalParkDiaries

    11 ай бұрын

    Yep, spot on! It's the thousands of little actions that add up over time that make a big difference. And that goes in the opposite direction as well. The more word spreads about not taking the wood and more people choose not to take any, the more protected these places get over time!

  • @flagmichael

    @flagmichael

    9 ай бұрын

    There are plenty of shops around the Petrified Forest that sell legal petrified wood, collected outside the park's boundaries. It isn't even all that expensive. Many of them sell fossils from all over.

  • @astrialindah2773

    @astrialindah2773

    5 ай бұрын

    Yet "they" sell it????

  • @edmartin875

    @edmartin875

    2 ай бұрын

    I don't think the Park sells it. There are tons of people interested in that type of thing and willing to start a small business to sell these and other like things to the tourists. I have a former high school classmate (class of 1966) that makes authentic looking Indian pottery that is sold in stores like that. @@astrialindah2773

  • @mike-me7om
    @mike-me7om9 ай бұрын

    I was there about 8 years ago and it was quite an experience. I also have a couple of pieces of petrified wood that I bought from the gift shop there. If you go there, try to see the Barringer meteor crater as well as both can be seen in one day.

  • @kathieburchett
    @kathieburchett9 ай бұрын

    I visited the petrified Forrest in 1976. My two young sons were with me. They allowed people to go look as you drove down a winding road. People were prohibited then from collecting any of the petrified wood,but they gave us a few small samples to take-home.

  • @paulholleger8538
    @paulholleger853811 ай бұрын

    I would LOVE a series on some of the Arctic National Parks (and other lands). In particular, I'd love a video on Katmai NP. From the crazy amount of volcanoes in the park, to the catastrophic eruption of Novarupta, to Fat Bear Week, it's a park that's got a lot to talk about! And it's pretty obscure to most people outside Alaska. And like most of the parks up there (besides Denali and maybe Kenai Fjords), it's a bit of a challenge to access. It would be nice to learn about it in depth for those of us who have a slim chance of ever visiting.

  • @NationalParkDiaries

    @NationalParkDiaries

    11 ай бұрын

    You got it - I'll put these on the list! I'm heading to Alaska later this year and haven't quite decided on a story/stories yet, but it's one of my favorite places and I'm really excited to visit and bring you all a story. I won't be going to Katmai on this trip, but you're right - it's a fascinating park with lots of good topics that are all on my radar to cover at some point. I actually already have a video on Fat Bear Week, but I'll keep the others in mind. Thanks for the suggestions!

  • @loboalamo

    @loboalamo

    9 ай бұрын

    Many nations have national parks and geologic oddities that are overlooked by tourists and people who grew up there. Maybe pick one and do a special episode.

  • @crystaldragon471
    @crystaldragon4719 ай бұрын

    I've collected petrified wood all over the west US, and petrified national park is not the only place with rainbow wood. You can buy this material from a neighboring ranch to the park, but one very popular spot for rock collectors is in Southern Utah. The wood is very similar and is rightfully named "Yellow Cat" because of its dominantly yellow colors, but may include a wide range of color (this is a public collecting area). Idaho is especially renowned for its petrified wood which is commonly found as precious opal, and there are open areas for collecting and privately owned mines which you can "pay to play". I've also found an incredible location with massive petrified trees scattered across the mesa at Dirty Devil Canyon (a North fork tributary of the Grand Canyon on BLM land), but it's very difficult to get to. Oregon and Washington have tons of petrified wood as well. My collection is saturated with petrified wood, but i would still say my favorite specimens are Arizona rainbow wood. Again, these are purchased at a neighboring ranch legally. I strongly recommend getting some while the getting is good. And yes, it's expensive. You'd be lucky to pay under $15/ pound with the average piece weighing upwards of 5 pounds. Small fragmented pieces might be cheaper, but owning a big chunk or 12 is always cool.

  • @nofrackingzone7479
    @nofrackingzone74799 ай бұрын

    I’ve been there, the park rangers said what you see on the surface is only a fraction of what was, and is, there. Until it was protected millions of tons of the logs were taken. There are many more below the surface. The largest example is outside of the Smithsonian museum of natural history in Washington DC.

  • @wmffmw1854
    @wmffmw18549 ай бұрын

    I visited the Petrified Forest and close by the Painted Desert in 1982 when living in Las Vegas and working for Carson Broadcasting.

  • @andycockrum1212
    @andycockrum121211 ай бұрын

    Petrified forest is an underrated NP

  • @NationalParkDiaries

    @NationalParkDiaries

    11 ай бұрын

    Agreed!

  • @craigbrown5359
    @craigbrown53594 ай бұрын

    I dug out mine fires in Pennsylvania and my coworkers were incredulous about the fact that the Pittsburgh coal seam was formed 20 degrees below the equator!!! Great stuff!

  • @NationalParkDiaries

    @NationalParkDiaries

    4 ай бұрын

    Geology really is incredible sometimes 😱

  • @ClipsNSnips
    @ClipsNSnips11 ай бұрын

    I took my wife here and she didn't know what petrified wood was.... She thought I was crazy walking around taking pictures of chunks of wood! 🤣🤣

  • @NationalParkDiaries

    @NationalParkDiaries

    11 ай бұрын

    😂😂😂

  • @wadeadams4263
    @wadeadams42639 ай бұрын

    Growing up in the 60s and 70s my parents were Rockhounds and we would go to Oklahoma on vacation travelling down old Route 66 and yes I've been to the Petrified Forest many times its awesome and don't forget the Painted Desert which is nearby.

  • @picklepotpieofficial
    @picklepotpieofficial11 ай бұрын

    Wish they'd show this video at the park! Great explanation

  • @NationalParkDiaries

    @NationalParkDiaries

    11 ай бұрын

    Thanks for watching!

  • @christophercharleshoward5435
    @christophercharleshoward54359 ай бұрын

    You did a really good job explaining that process. Thank you for your time and information. We live in pheonix and plan to visit soon.

  • @NationalParkDiaries

    @NationalParkDiaries

    9 ай бұрын

    Glad I could help, thanks for watching!

  • @chippysteve4524
    @chippysteve45249 ай бұрын

    Fascinating and beautifully explained. I remember seeing a 6 foot section of a petrified tree with stumps of branches in a museum as a youngster and being very impressed but to see a whole 'forest' of them where they fell must be mind-blowing. Arizona just made my bucket list! Thanks for your hard work and for sharing.

  • @NationalParkDiaries

    @NationalParkDiaries

    9 ай бұрын

    Thanks for watching!

  • @ErkanStyle8
    @ErkanStyle85 ай бұрын

    I just returned from Arizona last night. That petrified forest was my favorite hike/observation. Sedona also beautiful to hike. Grand Canyon is just a must see in person for all humans! Page AZ also a must see with HorseshoeBend as well as Antelope Canyon. WoW's across the board!!!!!!!

  • @NationalParkDiaries

    @NationalParkDiaries

    5 ай бұрын

    It really is a beautiful state! Glad you enjoyed your trip!

  • @drew-shourd
    @drew-shourd9 ай бұрын

    Great video, many blessings to you for making and sharing it. I have never been to any Petrified Forest, but I have been to a few forests that I was petrified in!!!

  • @NationalParkDiaries

    @NationalParkDiaries

    9 ай бұрын

    Haha, thanks for watching!

  • @ShrekSwag
    @ShrekSwag11 ай бұрын

    The shot at 0:40 is on the Utah side of Monument Valley, not Arizona. Love ur vids

  • @NationalParkDiaries

    @NationalParkDiaries

    11 ай бұрын

    Haha, fair enough! Thanks for watching!

  • @richardmoramarco6754
    @richardmoramarco67549 ай бұрын

    I drove through the Petrfied forest and the Painted Desert right across the Interstate a tunnel connects them in the early spring of 1989, was quite interesting.

  • @ryan49805
    @ryan498059 ай бұрын

    As an AZ native I can vouch that this park is definitely one of a kind. It has its own strange beauty. There is a gift shop that’s more of a museum that I’d highly recommend. It has all kinds of cool fossils along with wood. Also, it IS ILLEGAL to take “souvenirs” from the land, like he said. Definitely worth checking out! 👍

  • @williamleslie4939
    @williamleslie49399 ай бұрын

    I've been there with my wife and the petrified wood and local landscape are quite striking. We did a backcountry overnight there and we would definitely do it again. This is the first of your videos I've seen and it is really well done. I look forward to more!

  • @NationalParkDiaries

    @NationalParkDiaries

    9 ай бұрын

    Thank you and welcome to the community!

  • @pattydelaney1671
    @pattydelaney16719 ай бұрын

    I visited this park a couple years ago. it was beautiful! I was happy to buy some rocks in the gift shop, and private landowners in the surrounding area had signs with it for sale. I hope that minimizes people stealing it

  • @DaveBennett
    @DaveBennett9 ай бұрын

    We visited the park in '82 and it was great. Small area back then you had to hike to, but the trees were incredible to see and the landscape was surreal.

  • @NationalParkDiaries

    @NationalParkDiaries

    9 ай бұрын

    Very nice!

  • @elisemiller13
    @elisemiller139 ай бұрын

    Yes, I've been their twice and to satisfy that rock/fossil hound instinct and simultaneously support the park, I bought a few small slices from a store where there are rocks and slices with their beauty and mystery and thus preserving for future generations the awe of this place! Thank you for this video and may you have the experience of visiting yourself. SOme very cool photos you've shared of places I did not see, like the area with major amounts of fallen tree rocks atop one another. Well being!

  • @NationalParkDiaries

    @NationalParkDiaries

    9 ай бұрын

    Glad you enjoyed your visit and thanks for watching!

  • @maryleescott9028
    @maryleescott90289 ай бұрын

    My grandparents owned property in western Texas and collected lots of petrified wood from it as they built it into a farm. I still own pieces of it. Saw the park just a few yrs ago. It is always amazing to visualize the great change land has made and continues to make far greater than anything man can do to it. It has shifted and continues to shift over time and geologic events.

  • @brucemorris6319

    @brucemorris6319

    9 ай бұрын

    I live in northwest Oklahoma on a farm I find small peace’s of petrified wood all the time .

  • @tomasquintero1704
    @tomasquintero170411 ай бұрын

    You should do an episode on the Blue Primitive Range on the Arizona/New Mexico border. It's a unique designation and could tie back into conversations about changing values, and preservation vs conservation.

  • @NationalParkDiaries

    @NationalParkDiaries

    11 ай бұрын

    Very interesting! I'll look into it, thanks for the suggestion!

  • @TheEnderTaz25
    @TheEnderTaz2511 ай бұрын

    Any chance you’d be curious about doing a video on why Sedona, AZ ISN’T a national park? With the same type of scenery as Zion and Bryce, I’m curious as to why it never became one, or even a state park for that matter. Anyways, great job on the content as always!

  • @NationalParkDiaries

    @NationalParkDiaries

    11 ай бұрын

    I can certainly look into it! I never know what I'm going to find when I start a story, but I've been to Sedona and love the scenery in that area. Thanks for the suggestion!

  • @naomiezquivel8630

    @naomiezquivel8630

    11 ай бұрын

    Sedona is beautiful. It is situated within the Coconino National Forest. Not quite the same as a national park, but at least the land has some protection and people employed to maintain trail systems.

  • @ETBrenner

    @ETBrenner

    11 ай бұрын

    We went through Sedona on the same trip that took us through Petrified Forest NP - part of a whole loop trip through Arizona and New Mexico. Glorious!

  • @CeruleanSky1111

    @CeruleanSky1111

    11 ай бұрын

    Sedona used to be incredibly charming and quaint, a magical place. Now it's an over developed tourist trap. The vortexes have been desecrated. It pales in comparison to what it used to be.

  • @dshobe720
    @dshobe72011 ай бұрын

    Yes I have visited the part that surprised me the most was the size of the trees. Many were average size of 2 ft diameter but a few were nearly double that. Prepare for the heat if going in the summer or escape the winter for some 60-70⁰ F days during January-February. I also enjoyed the many desert lizards skittering along the old forest bones.

  • @NationalParkDiaries

    @NationalParkDiaries

    11 ай бұрын

    Yeah, I couldn't believe that some of those trees were nearly 200 ft tall before they fell! Truly a giant forest

  • @teddwayne
    @teddwayne9 ай бұрын

    Great video! Yes,I have been to the petrified forest ,I was in the Navy as a young 19 year old Seabee,driving across country to my next duty station. We stopped the spent some time there,it was an amazing experience. That was 1981. Petrified wood is very interesting to me now. I was living near White Salmon Washington,and hiking and camping in the Lewis River I found a few petrified chunks of rock. It was in the shallow river I was wading in,thought it was a burnt piece of firewood floating,but as I got next to it,it was on the bottom of the riverbed.Amazing find! After that,I started finding more ,possibly volvanic related,as this location in right in the middle of the Cascade mountain range?

  • @NationalParkDiaries

    @NationalParkDiaries

    9 ай бұрын

    Thanks for watching!

  • @roktman
    @roktman9 ай бұрын

    Once again an amazing video, for anyone who's interested in geography or nature in general, this channel is a gold mine. I'm a bit late to comment but what you could have mentioned is perhaps the other protected sites with petrified wood. I visited Petrified Forest NP when I was 13 and because we were in a hurry, we rushed the park and I didn't get to see much of it. I have visited other national parks or monuments where petrified wood can be found since, and I would like to mention two of those sites here. First was Theodore Roosevelt NP, which I think deserves its own video especially because of it's interesting history, where on certain trails we had walked past petrified pieces of bark and wood just scattered around, which was pretty unexpected since the northern unit to my knowledge didn't have any petrified forest trails. On the other hand there was I believe two trails that took you through two separate petrified forests with entire preserved stumps in the south unit. Those two trails are pretty remote, the only way to get there is to follow a specific path on gavel roads. The other site that I would like to mention is the Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument, which I believe has the largest petrified stumps in the world. In this case the petrified trees are an extinct species of sequoia, specifically Sequoia affinis. I myself am fascinated by big trees so when I visited and saw the petrified stumps for myself, I was honestly blown away. In my opinion it is a completely different experience to what you would see in Petrified Forest NP or other sites and I would definitely recommend it to anyone visiting Colorado.

  • @NationalParkDiaries

    @NationalParkDiaries

    9 ай бұрын

    Great info and thanks for mentioning those other "petrified parks!" So glad you're enjoying the channel as well!

  • @alexchristakis4539
    @alexchristakis45393 ай бұрын

    Thank you for this excellent, enjoyable and very informative, pro-grade presentation. Please keep up the excellent work! Many, many thanks.

  • @NationalParkDiaries

    @NationalParkDiaries

    3 ай бұрын

    Thanks so much!!

  • @melgillham462
    @melgillham4629 ай бұрын

    There are actually online sources and dealers on the side of the highways and interstates that can sell you pieces of petrified wood legally, as in not gathered from the park properties. But from private properties that they own or are in business with. There are even areas where you can see some parts of petrified remains from the highway like around the meteor crater area at winslow. Im a former truck driver and i found these shops and areas semiaccessible from I-40.

  • @whoareyoulookingfor
    @whoareyoulookingfor5 күн бұрын

    Yesterday my mom and I visited the Escalante Petrified Forest State Park! There's not nearly as many petrified trees as the park in Az, which we couldn't get to, so we stopped by Escalante's instead! It was so cool seeing all the colors and how in hollows of the tree there were crystal deposits (maybe quartz? I'm not sure if it's the same exact process as the one you talked about for Az), but what struck me the most was how the bark looked just like regular tree bark until there was a crack, and the insect borings! Absolutely incredible. We didn't see many people at all on the whole short hike up and down, which was nice, as I imagine the one in Az is much more busy too.

  • @NationalParkDiaries

    @NationalParkDiaries

    16 сағат бұрын

    It's crazy just how many locations have Petrified remains! Petrified Forest is probably the most famous, but you can find them all over the place! Glad you enjoyed your trip!

  • @Goodellsam
    @Goodellsam9 ай бұрын

    The vastness of the forest is incredible. It was mind-blowing to see. I highly recommend a visit.

  • @Wunderkammerdandy
    @Wunderkammerdandy9 ай бұрын

    Cool video! Live in AZ myself and have been there twice over the last two years; lastly in April this year. Best NP in the world. Such gorgeous scenery overall and the fossilised wood is sooooo amazingly beautiful.

  • @NationalParkDiaries

    @NationalParkDiaries

    9 ай бұрын

    Thanks for watching! Jealous you get something so incredible so close!

  • @edmartin875

    @edmartin875

    2 ай бұрын

    I lived in that area in the 1950s. Holbrook, Winslow, Kingman, Flagstaff, and many others. My dad built high pressure natural gas pipelines all over the Southwest, and we followed the pipelines. I may be wrong, but I don't remember it being a National Park back then. My parents allowed each child to have one and only one piece of petrified wood, but we found it locally, not from the area of the park. I think we were limited because we moved a lot, and they didn't want to be hauling around a bunch of rocks.

  • @zalix512
    @zalix5126 ай бұрын

    Logs look all the same age. It happened mostly all at once. The sheer volume points to this.

  • @Chichi-sl2mq
    @Chichi-sl2mq10 ай бұрын

    This channel makes me happy.

  • @NationalParkDiaries

    @NationalParkDiaries

    10 ай бұрын

    You make ME happy. Thanks for watching!

  • @gordeng4001
    @gordeng400110 ай бұрын

    I've been to this one in Arizona, but I've also been to one in the mountains of Colorado near Florissant, CO, which is a national park too. They both are pretty cool!

  • @NationalParkDiaries

    @NationalParkDiaries

    10 ай бұрын

    Agreed! Big fan of the petrified wood!

  • @codblkops85
    @codblkops8510 ай бұрын

    There is also Florissant national monument just outside Colorado Springs that has massive petrified redwood stumps

  • @NationalParkDiaries

    @NationalParkDiaries

    10 ай бұрын

    Yep! Pretty much every state has petrified wood apparently. Such a cool resource to be preserved in these places!

  • @scottrudd3863
    @scottrudd3863Ай бұрын

    Just visited today. Was looking for more info and poof, here you are. Thanks!

  • @NationalParkDiaries

    @NationalParkDiaries

    Ай бұрын

    Glad I could help! Hope you enjoyed your visit

  • @MissShembre
    @MissShembre4 ай бұрын

    There's a petrified ginko forest in Washington. The 'trees' are more brown with less red tones. The ones out in the wild are in little concrete and metal cages/coffins like they're zoo animals to prevent theft. But you can touch the ones that are up by the visitor center.

  • @NationalParkDiaries

    @NationalParkDiaries

    4 ай бұрын

    That actually makes me really sad... I hate that that even has to be a solution for their conservation, but is unfortunately an all too common occurrence when it comes to fossil sites like this. Fossil Cycad National Monument being the ultimate example of what can happen to a place if it's not properly protected

  • @ETBrenner
    @ETBrenner11 ай бұрын

    I visited this park a couple of decades ago - as something of a way amateur armchair geologist, I loved learning about the petrified trees. I also remember thinking how sad it was that the park had to worry about folks making off with the fossils.

  • @NationalParkDiaries

    @NationalParkDiaries

    11 ай бұрын

    This subject has fascinated me for the longest time also! It's just so cool to learn about processes (and places) like this!

  • @Zuxiasunicorn

    @Zuxiasunicorn

    9 ай бұрын

    If folks wanted a sample instead of stealing there are plenty of roadside stands selling it. Petrified wood can be found all around the area. My parents made my brother and me empty out our pockets before we left the park.

  • @astrialindah2773

    @astrialindah2773

    5 ай бұрын

    ​@@Zuxiasunicornso you can buy it... you just can't get it for free?

  • @Zuxiasunicorn

    @Zuxiasunicorn

    5 ай бұрын

    @astrialindah2773 How're you going to get it for free? Steal it from the park or poach on somebody's private property to find it?

  • @astrialindah2773

    @astrialindah2773

    5 ай бұрын

    @@Zuxiasunicorn if you don't see the irony in your question to me I can't help you 🙄

  • @gerryandsteph3703
    @gerryandsteph3703Ай бұрын

    I screened this today and will be showing it to my 4th graders in class today. Very well done, thank you for your video.

  • @NationalParkDiaries

    @NationalParkDiaries

    Ай бұрын

    So glad to hear that, thanks for watching!!

  • @adamhuffman3354
    @adamhuffman33549 ай бұрын

    I love the way it looks! I have some small pieces that have been polished and they are beautiful.

  • @NationalParkDiaries

    @NationalParkDiaries

    9 ай бұрын

    Agreed!

  • @johndaltroff2241
    @johndaltroff22419 күн бұрын

    If you steal any petrified wood from the park, bad luck will follow you. I have a piece that a relative took many years ago, we plan to return it to the park when we visit. Thanks for the explanation of how these trees petrified.🤠

  • @NationalParkDiaries

    @NationalParkDiaries

    8 күн бұрын

    Thanks for watching!

  • @chrislong3938
    @chrislong39382 ай бұрын

    There are places along I-40 that are not within the park but still have many logs strewn about. I picked up a pair of bookends made from some of those logs (I assume) that are just gorgeous! It's truly an amazing place and simply cruising along the interstate, you can see them without actually entering the park itself.

  • @johnizitchiforalongtime
    @johnizitchiforalongtime9 ай бұрын

    Love this video and explanation. Now i know the process.

  • @NationalParkDiaries

    @NationalParkDiaries

    9 ай бұрын

    Thanks for watching!

  • @bfrerck
    @bfrerck4 ай бұрын

    Great job. As National Park lover I appreciate your work.

  • @NationalParkDiaries

    @NationalParkDiaries

    4 ай бұрын

    Thanks so much for being here!

  • @scottprather5645
    @scottprather564511 ай бұрын

    Drove through the park around 10 years ago beautiful interesting place. the museum on the east end of the park had fossils of the prehistoric animals that existed back then. Park had a mysterious vibe of an ancient primitive world. At least that was my perception.🤔 Also good to note the area where petrified wood occurs is much larger than the park boundaries I just viewed a 13-year-old video of a 320 acre parcel for sale with petrified wood everywhere

  • @NationalParkDiaries

    @NationalParkDiaries

    11 ай бұрын

    Seems accurate! I feel like a lot of these fossil parks give off that vibe.

  • @nickkuttian4143
    @nickkuttian41439 ай бұрын

    Fantastic information here as well as great editing. Beautiful pictures and well timed transitions

  • @NationalParkDiaries

    @NationalParkDiaries

    9 ай бұрын

    Thank you!

  • @ericvulgate
    @ericvulgate11 ай бұрын

    My property is littered with wonderful examples.

  • @NationalParkDiaries

    @NationalParkDiaries

    11 ай бұрын

    Very cool!

  • @michaelfrancisco2043
    @michaelfrancisco204311 ай бұрын

    I been there and it's beautiful it's nice to see of Crystal formations and other Minareal

  • @NationalParkDiaries

    @NationalParkDiaries

    11 ай бұрын

    Very cool! Hoping to get out there myself soon!

  • @ArcturanMegadonkey
    @ArcturanMegadonkey8 ай бұрын

    Really enjoyed this

  • @NationalParkDiaries

    @NationalParkDiaries

    8 ай бұрын

    Thanks for watching!

  • @stevemeehan3288
    @stevemeehan328811 ай бұрын

    I was there in 1980. BEAUTIFUL. I suggest going to the Painted Desert as well.

  • @NationalParkDiaries

    @NationalParkDiaries

    11 ай бұрын

    🙌🙌🙌

  • @aborch7
    @aborch711 ай бұрын

    Awesome video!! I visited the petrified forest last year - I’m still dreaming about all the pieces I wouldn’t/couldn’t take 😂

  • @NationalParkDiaries

    @NationalParkDiaries

    11 ай бұрын

    Thank you! I did read that there are collectors who source petrified wood from _private_ land near the park, which they do make available for sale. A nice, legal way to take some of it home if you're interested!

  • @aborch7

    @aborch7

    11 ай бұрын

    @@NationalParkDiaries oh yes, there certainly are! There are actually gift shops directly outside one of the park entrances & they sold some very nice petrified wood, right there!

  • @braedonschweigert
    @braedonschweigert8 ай бұрын

    Well put together

  • @NationalParkDiaries

    @NationalParkDiaries

    8 ай бұрын

    Thank you!

  • @rbran
    @rbran11 ай бұрын

    Could you possibly do a video on Ocmulgee Mounds NHP? It’s expected to be upgraded to a national park this year, and I feel like it’s a super cool spot to talk about :)

  • @NationalParkDiaries

    @NationalParkDiaries

    11 ай бұрын

    Ocmulgee isn't that far from where I live! I could get out there pretty easily for a story, and yeah, with the potential for a new designation, that would be a great one to tell. Thanks for the suggestion!

  • @nothanks3236

    @nothanks3236

    11 ай бұрын

    It's barely large enough to be a city park, does upgrading it bring some sort of extra protection or something? If they want to make a national park in Georgia they should be looking to create one out of the Cohutta Wilderness up in Blue Ridge, or Okeefenokee.

  • @bentleymitchell5979
    @bentleymitchell597923 күн бұрын

    Thank you for posting : )

  • @NationalParkDiaries

    @NationalParkDiaries

    22 күн бұрын

    Thanks for watching!

  • @thepretzel2
    @thepretzel211 ай бұрын

    Where can we put video suggestions at?

  • @NationalParkDiaries

    @NationalParkDiaries

    11 ай бұрын

    Right here in the comments!

  • @thepretzel2

    @thepretzel2

    11 ай бұрын

    @@NationalParkDiaries Cool. Shoot. I had a thought for a video (or maybe a multi-part thing), but I cant remember what it was lol.

  • @NationalParkDiaries

    @NationalParkDiaries

    11 ай бұрын

    @@thepretzel2 no worries! You can always leave it here if it comes back to you! I store all suggestions in a folder anyway once they come through, so it'll get remembered lol

  • @thepretzel2

    @thepretzel2

    11 ай бұрын

    @@NationalParkDiaries I remember now: Could you do a video about the various hunting/fishing/ect. laws of each park?

  • @edmartin875

    @edmartin875

    2 ай бұрын

    Each Park ??? I would hope you know there are lots and lots of Parks in the US. Just reading off the name of the park and what state it is in could take the entire time of the average video. The research along could take a year or more.@@thepretzel2

  • @mark-wn5ek
    @mark-wn5ek9 ай бұрын

    Who wouldn’t want to pick up a piece of that beautiful petrified wood as a souvenir of their visit there?!!!

  • @CampElk
    @CampElk9 ай бұрын

    I took my 13 year old son there in June of ‘23. You give a far greater explanation of how petrification happens than I was able! Thanks!

  • @NationalParkDiaries

    @NationalParkDiaries

    9 ай бұрын

    Glad I could help, thanks for watching!

  • @tompsheridantsheridant7354

    @tompsheridantsheridant7354

    9 ай бұрын

    Replying to @CampElk: **IN JUNE OF 2023!!**

  • @LazrCat0
    @LazrCat011 ай бұрын

    I wish people understood that them taking pieces of parks like this means other people can't enjoy it, but people so often only think of themselves and couldn't care less if others got to experience it, they just want that piece for their mantle.

  • @NationalParkDiaries

    @NationalParkDiaries

    11 ай бұрын

    It is unfortunate. I hope that with the proper education and outreach, we can help people understand the importance of caring for these places for future generations!

  • @edmartin875

    @edmartin875

    2 ай бұрын

    I knew some folks, way back when, that used a softball size chunk of petrified wood as a doorstop.

  • @kirkmarshall2853
    @kirkmarshall28538 ай бұрын

    Stumbled across your channel in a rabbit hole I took tonight after partaking in both drink and herb and really glad I found it. Subscribed

  • @NationalParkDiaries

    @NationalParkDiaries

    8 ай бұрын

    Hahaha, welcome!

  • @junepearl7993
    @junepearl799311 ай бұрын

    Leave only footprints. Take only photos. Protect our national parks. Florissant Fossil beds in Colorado is another place to see fossilized trees. They also have a nice collection of fossilized insects.

  • @NationalParkDiaries

    @NationalParkDiaries

    11 ай бұрын

    Couldn't have said it better myself!

  • @susysuzan7168
    @susysuzan7168Ай бұрын

    When I lived in Montana, near Great Falls, I found a piece of petrified wood about a foot long and about 6 inches in diameter. What made this unusual was that 2/3 was petrified and 1/3 was not; it was regular wood. It was part of a tree limb.

  • @NationalParkDiaries

    @NationalParkDiaries

    Ай бұрын

    Now that's fascinating!

  • @onnalexseeias
    @onnalexseeias9 ай бұрын

    Thank you ❤❤❤❤

  • @NationalParkDiaries

    @NationalParkDiaries

    9 ай бұрын

    Thanks for watching!

  • @josefunez397
    @josefunez3974 ай бұрын

    I ve been there once few years back i bought some iron wood and petrified wood at the stores there before entering the park❤ i took pictures!

  • @NationalParkDiaries

    @NationalParkDiaries

    4 ай бұрын

    Very nice!

  • @jayalejandro324
    @jayalejandro32411 ай бұрын

    Please don't tell people that taking stuff from a NATIONAL park is illegal. That's never enough. Tell them that it's HIGHLY illegal, and will put a Preacher in prison for a minimal of 1 year. It's that tuff.

  • @NationalParkDiaries

    @NationalParkDiaries

    11 ай бұрын

    😂😂😂

  • @gabrielford3473

    @gabrielford3473

    11 ай бұрын

    Only its not. Unfortunately 1 year in prison is a far cry from the usual sentences, or lack of. There's really not much that will stop the behavior, unless there's a way to instill some serious education, pride and respect into our citizenry. I will say, the gentleman running this channel sure seems to have the right idea, so thank you very much. I've lived in and worked as a interpretive guide and educator in a Nat Park for 18 years now, and it's only getting worse, sadly. It really does break my heart.

  • @rogerblack6270
    @rogerblack627011 ай бұрын

    Great place to visit

  • @NationalParkDiaries

    @NationalParkDiaries

    11 ай бұрын

    Hoping to make it out there someday!

  • @wmffmw1854
    @wmffmw18549 ай бұрын

    They do sell pieces of Petrified Wood, harvested in the areas surrounding the park, in the Park Gift Shop. You can also find PW along the road.

  • @user-ev5og3uj3u
    @user-ev5og3uj3u9 ай бұрын

    Very good show and information

  • @NationalParkDiaries

    @NationalParkDiaries

    9 ай бұрын

    Thank you!

  • @KeithHoltupthepeak
    @KeithHoltupthepeak9 ай бұрын

    I have been there and it is incredible. You can buy small pieces at the gift shop, which is what I did. Great video, really enjoyed it. Inspired me to look at my footage and revisit it.

  • @NationalParkDiaries

    @NationalParkDiaries

    9 ай бұрын

    Thanks for watching!

  • @KeithHoltupthepeak

    @KeithHoltupthepeak

    9 ай бұрын

    @@NationalParkDiaries my pleasure. This channel is a real treat.

  • @ssuyan
    @ssuyan3 ай бұрын

    You are a very good teacher!

  • @NationalParkDiaries

    @NationalParkDiaries

    3 ай бұрын

    Thank you!!

  • @kathycondon4734
    @kathycondon47345 ай бұрын

    Hi i wanted to tell you loved your broadcast about Arizona. It is a great thing to hear about the history of the area. Hey I wanted to let you know that I have only recently just visited this area. The Petrified Forest has some of the prettiest most beautiful wood fossils anywhere. Arizona itself is also covered in all the other fossils that go along with that environment from that time too!! Every kind of little animal from that time period is also just laying there on the ground in so many pieces. Every rock I picked up was a little lizard head or a fish skull or a rib bone or a back vertebrae or a horn or a complete skeleton, or just completely visible imbedded in the rock EVERYWHERE!!! Every rock I looked at was a fossil of some kind. Also on top of being fossilized you can see the scorpions all over them!!(98%) I saw a shark fossil( shark like) the fin was so obvious when you compared it to a live version there was no denying. It was embedded in the same rock as a little Ray(stingray) right together. The shark was small and and the stingray, skate?(10 or 12 inches across the back) was also kinda little but when I saw them there in the same rock, I was really stunned. I didn't have a camera( of course) but they were facing each other and it was the fin on that shark like fish that was undeniable. Just unbelievble!!! I'm 61 and I love to look at all rocks. I don't know if it's just me but I'm from Washington state originally and I swear that I found a little petrified alligator head on Snoqualamie Pass along with some petrified baby turtles all in the same area on one day. Could you maybe tell me if that is, at all, a possibility???? Love this subject matter!!! Thanks!!;)

  • @blech71
    @blech719 ай бұрын

    Pretty much any tree getting this treatment back then….. At first I was afraid, I was petrified Kept thinking I could never live without you by my side But then I spent so many nights thinking how you did me wrong And I grew strong And I learned how to get along And so you're back From outer space I just walked in to find you here with that sad look upon your face I should have changed that stupid lock, I should have made you leave your key If I'd known for just one second you'd be back to bother me Go on now, go, walk out the door Just turn around now 'Cause you're not welcome anymore Weren't you the one who tried to hurt me with goodbye? You think I'd crumble? You think I'd lay down and die? Oh no, not I, I will survive Oh, as long as I know how to love, I know I'll stay alive I've got all my life to live And I've got all my love to give and I'll survive I will survive, hey, hey

  • @NationalParkDiaries

    @NationalParkDiaries

    9 ай бұрын

    The content we need 🤣

  • @MrRamiste
    @MrRamiste9 ай бұрын

    These trees might be millions of years old, but it's true that petrification can happen VERY quickly and does not need to take anywhere near that long to happen. Just look up rate of petrification online. In nature it can be a few thousand years, and maybe faster.

  • @fingerfeller
    @fingerfeller9 ай бұрын

    Thanks!

  • @NationalParkDiaries

    @NationalParkDiaries

    9 ай бұрын

    Thanks so much for your support!

  • @geebopbaluba1591
    @geebopbaluba15919 ай бұрын

    I live in north Texas and I have petrified wood all over my property and I can easily find it after we have a hard rain.

  • @jerseattle0722
    @jerseattle07229 ай бұрын

    Subscribed!❤

  • @NationalParkDiaries

    @NationalParkDiaries

    9 ай бұрын

    Welcome!

  • @brucemorris6319
    @brucemorris63199 ай бұрын

    I’ve been there twice. great experience probably go again someday.👍

  • @NationalParkDiaries

    @NationalParkDiaries

    9 ай бұрын

    Nice!

  • @spiritualmafia888
    @spiritualmafia8889 ай бұрын

    You ROCK!!!

  • @NationalParkDiaries

    @NationalParkDiaries

    9 ай бұрын

    Thank you!