Petrified Forest National Park

Petrified Forest National Park
a national park in E Arizona: buried tree trunks turned to stone by the action of mineral-laden water. 147 sq. mi. (381 sq. km).

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National park, eastern Arizona, U.S. Established as a national monument in 1906 and as a national park in 1962, it has an area of 146 sq mi (378 sq km).

It features extensive exhibits of petrified wood in several "forest" areas, fossilized leaves, plants, and broken logs, and the Painted Desert. Other features include petroglyphs and ancient Pueblo Indian ruins.

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 desert area containing plant and animal fossils and archaeological sites in eastern Arizona, U.S., 19 miles (30 km) east of Holbrook. Established as a national monument in 1906 and as a national park in 1962, it occupies an area of 146 square miles (378 square km).

 The park features extensive exhibits of petrified wood in several “forest” areas, which are the remains of ancient tropical groves. The park includes the Black Forest in the Painted Desert, a badlands region of colourful wind-eroded hills near the north entrance, where Pilot Rock (6,235 feet [1,900 metres]), the park's highest point, is located. Other sections of the park (Blue Mesa and Jasper, Crystal, and Rainbow forests) are filled mostly with fossilized leaves, plants, and broken logs. Some animal fossils also have been found, including those of dinosaurs dating to the Triassic Period (248 to 206 million years ago). Among other park features are petroglyphs (such as Newspaper Rock) and the ruins of ancient Ancestral Pueblo (Anasazi) pueblos, notably the Puerco Indian Ruin, just south of the Painted Desert, and the Rainbow Forest Museum, near the south entrance.

      The park's elevation, which averages about 5,800 feet (1,800 metres), and its annual precipitation, which is less than 10 inches (250 mm), are the primary factors in determining the type of plant and animal life. Many of the plants are small and inconspicuous, but some plants blossom in the spring—yuccas, mariposa lilies, and cacti—and others provide summer flowers—asters, rabbit brush, and sunflowers. Wildlife includes coyotes, bobcats, antelope, rattlesnakes, lizards, and a variety of birds, notably the horned lark, rock wren, and phoebe.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Petrified Forest National Park — Petrified Forest Nationalpark Verkieseltes Holz …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Petrified Forest National Park —   [ petrɪfaɪd fɔrɪst næʃnl pɑːk], Nationalpark in Arizona, USA, im Osten der wüstenhaften Painted Desert, 379 km2; aufgebaut v. a. aus Sandsteinen der Trias, die stark erodiert sind; eingelagert sind verkieselte Baumstämme u. a. Gewächse. Ruinen… …   Universal-Lexikon

  • Petrified Forest National Park — Infobox protected area | name = Petrified Forest National Park iucn category = II caption = locator x = 65 locator y = 107 location = Apache County Navajo County, Arizona, USA nearest city = Holbrook lat degrees = 35 lat minutes = 03 lat seconds …   Wikipedia

  • Petrified Forest National Park — Parc national de Petrified Forest Petrified Forest Nom Parc national Emplacement Ar …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Petrified Forest National Park — Sp Suakmenėjusio Miško nacionãlinis párkas Ap Petrified Forest National Park L JAV (Arizona) …   Pasaulio vietovardžiai. Internetinė duomenų bazė

  • National Register of Historic Places listings in Petrified Forest National Park — This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Petrified Forest National Park. This is intended to be a complete list of the properties and districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Petrified Forest National …   Wikipedia

  • Petrified Forest National Park — national park in Arizona (USA) where the trunks of trees have turned to stone as a result of heavily mineral laden water …   English contemporary dictionary

  • Petrified Forest National Park — noun a national park in Arizona having the world s largest collection of petrified coniferous trees • Instance Hypernyms: ↑national park • Part Holonyms: ↑Arizona, ↑Grand Canyon State, ↑AZ * * * a national park in E Arizona: buried tree trunks… …   Useful english dictionary

  • Petrified Forest National Park — Pet′rified For′est Na′tional Park′ n. geg a national park in E Arizona: buried tree trunks turned to stone by the action of mineral laden water. 147 sq. mi. (381 sq. km) …   From formal English to slang

  • Petrified Forest National Park — geographical name reservation E Arizona in Painted Desert containing natural exhibit of petrified wood …   New Collegiate Dictionary

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