One hundred and fifty million years ago this place was a forest:
I know it is now barren, dry, and very windy, but it used to be a lush conifer forest in which Diplodocus and other plant eating dinosaurs ate from the seventy-foot tall trees. It was temperate and very humid, unlike now. The reason we know that this was a forest is not because of the dinosaurs, though that might be a small clue, but because of the trees. In special conditions when minerals seep into trees and then get buried underground, a process called petrification, the trees can become petrified or turned into rock. They keep their shape and details, like the rings you see when you cut a log, but are now made out of stone, instead of wood. We got to see some petrified trees at this national park we went to, which was super cool.
When we got there we went to the visitor center to see what was up. They had a sign informing you about the petrification process, some actual petrified wood, and some tools ancient people made out of the petrified wood. Apparently petrified wood is a good material for making spear and arrowheads because it breaks into sharp pieces. The ranger told us that we could go on a one and a half kilometer walk to a viewpoint overlooking the landscape and on the way we would see some more petrified trees, so we packed up and went.
At the beginning of the walk we saw some huge petrified trees, which a sign next to them said were one and a half to two meters in diameter, which, to give you a sense of how big that is, is taller than me. It was so cool!
We also learned that seventy five million years ago the same area used to be a shallow ocean. We found plant fossils all over the ground and had fun thinking about how different the landscape is now to what it must have been back then. It was so cool to learn about all of this stuff but it presented my mind with two exceptionally important questions. What will this place look like in one hundred and fifty million years? What will the world look like in one hundred and fifty million years?
2 Responses
Your writing is getting better every time you make an entry! Keep up the great work –
I can’t even comprehend 150 million years ago – shucks, I have trouble comprehending a hundred years ago. Think how much your parents – and their parents – have seen change in their lifetimes. It boggles the mind!
We look forward to every entry you guys post – keep ’em coming!
Good thinking, Audrey. I like your description of the petrification process and the relative size of the trees. You are sure learning a lot down there! I look forward to your stories when you return.