Monumento natural Bosques Petrificados, Prehistoric petrified forest park in Deseado Department, Argentina.
The Monumento natural Bosques Petrificados is a sprawling nature park in the Patagonian steppe containing scattered petrified tree trunks from ancient times. The fossilized remains vary in their mineral composition and preservation, creating a landscape of different-colored stone logs across the terrain.
The area was a dense forest landscape around 150 million years ago during the Jurassic period, gradually transformed into stone through volcanic activity. This mineralization process preserved the tree structures intact until today.
The place reflects a time when Patagonia was covered in thick forests, and seeing the petrified trunks gives visitors a sense of how green and alive this now-dry landscape once was. Walking among these remains helps one understand the dramatic environmental shift the region has undergone.
The site is remote and requires a vehicle capable of handling unpaved roads to reach the park. Visitors should bring plenty of water and supplies, as there are no facilities or services available on-site.
Some of the petrified trees belonged to an extinct species that ranked among the tallest organisms on Earth during its time. These specimens reveal how different forest ecosystems were during ancient geological periods.
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