Petrified Wood in Fine Art, Museums, and Legends

• http://www.smithsonianmag.com/issues/1997/june/object_june97.php
  The Sherman Logs at the Smithsonian: Two petrified tree trunks were collected from the Arizona Desert in 1879 at the instigation of Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman. (Yes, the very man who led the March from Atlanta to the sea near the end of the Civil War.) This article from Smithsonian Magazine recounts the fascinating story of Sherman’s “discovery” of petrified wood in 1878 and his subsequent orders to “collect some ‘interesting samples’ of ‘petrifications for the Smithsonian’.
   
  
• http://www.nmsu.edu/~geology/zuhl/zuhl.html
  The Joan and Herbert Zuhl Library at New Mexico State University houses their 30 year collection of petrified wood, fossils, and minerals.
   
  
• http://http://www.elonka.com/kryptos/pics/images/CIA-krypt-lg.jpg
  The Fine Art of Using Petrified Wood in Fine Art: Installed outside the CIA Building in Langley, VA, in 1990, is an encrypted sculpture by James Sanborn. The thousands of characters cut into the sculpture contain encrypted messages. Note the petrified wood log he has used, to great effect, as a strong vertical accent.
   
• http://www.spirit-stones.com/type_wood.html
  Ancient Chinese references to petrified wood, “muhuashi”. Revered as far back as the Tang and Ming Dynasties, it is considered to be one of the Chinese Scholars’ Rocks/Spirit Stones.
   
• http://www.tucsonweekly.com/tw/12-11-97/curr3.htm
  The Curse of the Petrified Forest: It’s what park rangers warn visitors about! AND they have hundreds of letters of regret to validate their warning!

How Tropical Trees Became Stone

• http://scienceviews.com/parks/woodcolors.html
  Petrified Wood Colors from Science Views: Excellent, readable scientific explanation of how petrified wood acquired its coloring. Also on this site are links related to the formation and location of petrified wood. In short, a very good, all around petrified wood information site.
   
• http://scienceviews.com/parks/petrifiedforest.html
  From Science Views: Excellent over all information about the history of the Petrified Forest National Park with many links for further exploration.
   
• http://www.desertusa.com/mag00/jan/papr/rock.html
  Desert USA Easy to understand, broad overview of the petrification process and the geological history of the Chinle Formation.
  

Information about Petrified Forest National Park

• http://www.nps.gov/
  General information about all of our national parks. Click on the Petrified Forest National Park link.
   
• http://www.americansouthwest.net/arizona/petrified_forest/national_park.html
  Details about Petrified Forest National Park, touring, routes, etc.
   
• http://www.aaa.com/aaa/006/EnCompass/2003/apr/apr_PetrifiedForest.html
  From AAA Travel Tips for Petrified Forest National Park: Overview of what to expect to see and listing of various sites within the forest. 
    
• http://usparks.about.com/library/photos/petrified/blphotos-petrified.htm
   A short slide show of images of the Petrified Forest National Park.

On the Botanical Side - Meet the Arauacria Family

• http://www.statefossils.com/az/az.html Information about Araucarioxylon arizonicum and additional detailed geological information.
  http://waynesword.palomar.edu/ecoph27.htm
  The Araucaria Family Tree: An easy to read introduction to the Araucaria genus - which segues into plate tectonics which segues into petrified wood, which segues into…………… !

Information re: Mining Petrified Wood

• http://www.amfed.org/sfms/petrified_wood-reg.html
  Federal regulations governing the collection of petrified wood on government owned land.    

• http://www.nzlegacy.com/petrified_wood.htm
  Mineral Rights: Learn about a company that owns the mineral rights to petrified wood sites.

Other Petrified Wood Sites

• http://www.tmm.utexas.edu/education/lessonplans/wood/
  Make your own petrified wood! From the Texas Memorial Museum comes this fun rainy day project.
   
• http://www.roadsideamerica.com/attract/COLAMwood.html
  A building made of petrified wood. Lamar, Colorado.