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Specimen Ridge petrified forest

View on map:44.870280°N 110.296670°W

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About 50 million years ago, a volcanic vent spewed a blanket of ash buried the lower sections of ancient forests.  The upper parts of the forest decayed away leaving the fossilized remains of the forest which have been exposed by erosion.  

Description


Specimen Ridge

Specimen Ridge, el. 8,574 feet (2,613 m) is an approximately 8.5-mile (13.7 km) ridge along the south rim of the Lamar Valley in Yellowstone National Park. The ridge separates the Lamar Valley from Mirror Plateau. The ridge is oriented northwest to southeast from the Tower Junction area to Amethyst Mountain. The ridge is known for its abundance of amethyst, opal and petrified wood. It was referred to as Specimen Mountain by local miners and was probably named by prospectors well before 1870. The south side of the ridge is traversed by the 18.8-mile (30.3 km) Specimen Ridge Trail between Tower Junction and Soda Butte Creek. The trail passes through the Petrified Forest[3] and over the summit of Amethyst Mountain el. 9,614 feet (2,930 m).[4]

References

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