Geology and Minerals

Escalante Petrified Forest State Park

Escalante Petrified Forest State Park (also known as Escalante State Park) is a state park in Utah, United States, located 0.8 km north of Escalante. The park features a high mesa that was once an ancient floodplain. Approximately 135 to 155 million years ago, large trees were buried in mud during floods. Groundwater eventually replaced the organic material with silica, preserving the wood as fossils through permineralization. Erosion has exposed these petrified logs, which were prized by hobbyists before the park's establishment. The logs are believed to be from conifers transported by a river before being buried and fossilized as agate. The varied colors of the petrified wood are due to different minerals absorbed during petrification. Iron oxides contribute to the orange, red, and yellow hues, while manganese oxides create blues, blacks, and purples.

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See also

• ▸Agglomerate
• ▸Geotail
• ▸Carbon sequestration

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