#165 Oct 2017 Old Holes and Very Old Rocks and Trees

Everywhere we travel we discover more to explore than we expected. Sedona was no exception.

The tourist information center gave us directions to Meteor Crater, which we had heard about previously. Then they pointed out the Petrified Forest and Painted Desert in the same direction. We set out for a long day but had no idea how much there was to see and that we would want days to explore the area.

We heard some people say Meteor Crater is just a big hole in the ground.

This aerial photo in the info center gives some idea of the size of the hole.

The info center is in the lower left of the above photo.

 

50,000 years ago a very big meteor made a very, very big hole in the Arizona landscape. It is ¾ of a mile across and 700 feet deep. A shock wave of hurricane force winds flashed out in every direction, causing destruction for miles.

 

In the lower middle of the crater is a 6-foot tall astronaut with a 3’ by 5’ flag.

This house size rock is barely discernable from the visitor center.

It is estimated that the meteor was about 150 feet across and weighed several hundred thousand tons.
This is the largest piece of the meteor that has been found. The rest was vaporized or melted or blown into fragments scattered over several miles.

Scientific data gathered from the crater continues to provide insight into objects in space and how they affect the moon, this planet and other planets in our solar system.

We couldn’t comprehend a Petrified Forest until we saw how many logs were just lying around.

218 million years ago these trees were alive 4 degrees north of the equator in wet tropical forests. Ancient Arizona drifted north with the North American Plate as the supercontinent of Pangaea broke apart to form modern North America.

Petroglyphs attest to the perseverance of ancient people who thrived in this arid land.

 

This log bridge is a fascinating example of the petrified trees from this ancient ecosystem.

 The concrete support is an attempt to thwart nature. However, water will slowly erode this log that was created as it was covered with mud and water.

The Petrified Forest National Park includes the Painted Desert. Plate tectonics and erosion have created a fantastic display of colourful hills, valleys and ravines.

 

The big sky and clear air provide views over 100 miles away.

As the sun lowered the view altered.

The Painted Desert Inn provided an eerie sight as the weather changed.

Our day was complete when we were:

Standin' on the corner in Winslow Arizona