A petrified tree that grew in a Triassic-age rainforest environment lies across a drainage in the Angel's Garden area of the Petrified Forest National Park Wilderness. The broken segments visible here are typical of stone trees that have lost support via recent erosion of underlying claystones.Â
Folded granite dikes intruded into the Brahma Schist can be seen below the Great Unconformity in the Inner Gorge of Grand Canyon. Flat-lying beds of Tapeats Sandstone and younger rocks can be seen above the (dashed) unconformity. Zoroaster Temple is in the background at the upper right.Â
Paleogeographic map of the southwestern US during the Late Triassic, approximately 215 million years ago. This area was closer to the equator ast this time, and was filled with tropical rainforests somewhere like those in modern-day Costa Rica. The location of present-day Petrified Forest is shown in light blue and the City of Flagstaff in red. From Blakey and Ranney, 2024, Ancient Landscapes of the Colorado Plateau, 2nd Ed., published by Grand Canyon Conservancy. Used with permission.
A petrified tree that grew in a Triassic-age rainforest environment lies across a drainage in the Angel's Garden area of the Petrified Forest National Park Wilderness. The broken segments visible here are typical of stone trees that have lost support via recent erosion of underlying claystones.Â
Author courtesy
Folded granite dikes intruded into the Brahma Schist can be seen below the Great Unconformity in the Inner Gorge of Grand Canyon. Flat-lying beds of Tapeats Sandstone and younger rocks can be seen above the (dashed) unconformity. Zoroaster Temple is in the background at the upper right.Â
Author courtesy
Paleogeographic map of the southwestern US during the Late Triassic, approximately 215 million years ago. This area was closer to the equator ast this time, and was filled with tropical rainforests somewhere like those in modern-day Costa Rica. The location of present-day Petrified Forest is shown in light blue and the City of Flagstaff in red. From Blakey and Ranney, 2024, Ancient Landscapes of the Colorado Plateau, 2nd Ed., published by Grand Canyon Conservancy. Used with permission.
Think of a place in your life that has been important to you, perhaps enough to shape or influence who you have become. This could be a place where you grew up, a place where something important happened that you will always remember, or something that was especially beautiful and meaningful in a personal or even spiritual way.
Heritage refers to something that comes to or belongs to one by reason of birth. When thinking of your heritage, what comes to mind? In law, heritage is a property � especially land � that is passed on by inheritance. Heritage can be created by others but usually we receive it not via personal effort but as a gift from one generation to the next.
John Noll is a graduate of NAU's Dept. of Geology (now part of the School of Earth and Sustainability). After a career in the energy sector, he relocated back to Flagstaff. When not exploring the geology of his home state, John pursues interests in the challenges of managing water resources in the arid Southwest. This is his fifth year as a Roving Ranger.
The NPS/USFS Roving Rangers volunteer through a unique agreement between the Flagstaff Area National Monuments and the Coconino National Forest to provide Interpretive Ranger walks and talks in the Flagstaff area each summer.
Readers can submit questions for the ‘Ask a Ranger’ weekly column to [email protected].
Having crowned its Majors and AAA city champions as both tournaments concluded on Monday, June 2, the Flagstaff Little League announced its four all-star teams for the upcoming District 1 and … Read moreFlagstaff Little League announces 2025 all-star teams
Say hello to Jonesy, a sweet, 1-year-old black Chihuahua mix with a gentle soul. He can be a little shy at first, but once he gets to know you, he'll be your best friend. Jonesy walks great on… Read moreCHA Pet of the Week: Jonesy
