1 Petrified Forest NP GLY 3164, Spring 2006

2 Park Map Park is basically two units Painted Desert is to the North Petrified Forest is in the south

3 Multi-Colored Ash Layers In the Painted Desert Region

4 Petrified Logs Volcanic ash is visible in background Along Straight Logs Trail

5 Painted Desert Overlook Spectacular view of the extremely colorful Chinle formation, exposed in the Painted Desert

6 Painted Desert Note spacing of vegetation, indicating very arid conditions

7 Painted Desert View

8 Colorful Logs Small amounts of impurities in silica create very colorful displays

9 Petrified Log Video Close-up of the log, showing excellent preservation of the log structure Double-click to play video

10 Log in the Blue Mesa Region Blue Mesa is composed of bentonite clay, a weathering product of volcanic ash Clay is very easily eroded

11 Blue Mesa Overview Differential Erosion

12 Log on Pedestal In the Blue Mesa Region

13 Lithodendron Wash Small objects in the basin are petrified logs

14 Petrified Logs Differential erosion uncovers the locks, because they are much more resistant to weathering than the soft Chinle formation in which they are found

15 Petrified Log in Painted Desert Log has helped to preserve the easily eroded ash underneath it

16 Agate Bridge Agate bridge has now been supported by the NPS to protect it, but originally spanned a small dry wash

17 Giant Logs Along the Giant Logs trail

18 Broken Log Many large logs break at regular intervals

19 Petrified Forest Logs Montage of video clips

20 Newspaper Rock In the Painted Desert section Rock writing was sometimes used to leave messages

21 Pictoglyphs Rock is dark colored because of desert varnish Scraping rock reveals the true rock color, and makes writing or drawing possible Many such writings were left by prehistoric Native Americans