Ginkgo Petrified Forest State Park, Paleontological site in Kittitas County, United States.
Ginkgo Petrified Forest State Park is a protected landscape in Washington containing thousands of petrified logs from ancient times. The site displays more than 50 species of fossilized trees, including ginkgo, sweetgum, fir, elm, maple, poplar, magnolia, sassafras, and witch hazel from different forest layers.
Geologists began excavations in 1927 following discoveries of petrified wood in the area. These efforts resulted in the park's establishment and opening to the public in 1938 to preserve the findings.
The Wanapum Native American tribe inhabited this region, using exposed petrified wood to craft tools and welcoming settlers during Lewis and Clark expeditions.
The park features a museum with petrified wood displays and marked trails that guide visitors through different fossil sites. You can walk through the grounds at your own pace and learn about the ancient forest layers from interpretive signage along the paths.
This location is the only known place in the world where fossilized ginkgo trees have been found, a species still revered in Japan for millennia. The discovery of these ancient ginkgo specimens connects the geological past of North America with one of Earth's oldest tree species.
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