Petrified Forest National Park

High school (ages 12+)
Geography

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/petrified-forest-national-park

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. How big is Petrified Forest National Park?Approximately 346 square miles (900 square kilometers)
2. How high is Petrified Forest National Park?Averages about 5,400 feet (1,600 meters)
3. When was Petrified Forest National Park built?National Monument: January 8, 1906; National Park: December 9, 1962
4. What is the location?Navajo and Apache counties, northeastern Arizona, USA
5. What is the geological formation?Chinle Formation, Late Triassic Epoch (approx. 225 million years ago)
6. What is a petrified forest?A petrified forest is a place where ancient trees have turned into stone. The wood was buried and filled with silica, which kept the tree’s shape forever.

Silicification: The geological process where silica-rich groundwater replaces organic material, forming petrified wood.
Late Triassic Epoch: A geological period from approximately 252 to 201 million years ago, crucial for the evolution of dinosaurs and early mammals.
Chinle Formation: A widespread Upper Triassic sedimentary rock unit in the southwestern United States, rich in fossils, including petrified wood.
Paleoecology: The study of ancient environments and ecosystems through fossil evidence.