Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona, USA
Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona, USA (© Ian Shive/Tandem Stills + Motion)
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Here at Petrified Forest National Park in north-east Arizona, United States, these fallen trees are made of stone, not wood. They look similar on the outside but contain a core of colourful quartz crystals. More than 200 million years ago, trees and vegetation covered much of this area. But volcanic eruptions destroyed the forest, covering trees in a sediment comprised of volcanic ash and water, which turned the logs to stone. Millions of years later the rivers in the area dried up, revealing the fossilised wood.
© Ian Shive/Tandem Stills + Motion