A DIFFERENT KIND OF FOREST When you think of forests you probably think of tall green trees made of wood But there's another kind of forest A petrified forest is made of ancient trees whose wood has turned to stone Many trees in petrified forests are millions of years old Explore More PETRIFIED FORESTS CONTAIN FOSSILS OF ANIMALS AND OTHER PLANTS AS WELL AS TREES 4 UNUN
Petrified wood is a kind of fossil A fossil is what's left from a plant or animal that lived thousands or millions of years ago Scientists study fossils like petrified wood to learn what Earth was like long ago and how it has changed PIECES OF WOOD IN A PETRIFIED FOREST LIKE THIS ONE CAN BE OVER 200 MILLION YEARS OLD 5
FROM TREE TO STONE Most of the time when a tree dies it simply rots As it falls apart it becomes part of the soil So how does a tree turn into stone A few things must happen THIS FOSSILIZED TREE WAS FOUND BURIED IN ROCK IN UTAH THE ROCK STARTED AS SEDIMENT AND HARDENED OVER TIME 6
First the tree must be buried soon after it dies If it is not buried quickly then it will start to break down Trees may be buried in sediment bits of rock sand and other matter that's carried by water A lot of petrified wood is found near rivers and other bodies of water The sediment protects the tree Explore More FOSSILIZED WOOD CAN BE FOUND THROUGHOUT THE UNITED STATES TODAY MANY PETRIFIED FORESTS ARE NATIONAL PARKS 7
