Petrified Forest Natural Monument
This
incredible place is away from any populated area, in the middle
of the desert, dry climate and no water due to the lack of rivers
or lakes. Laguna Grande, a shallow lake, stays dry due to
the permeability at the bottom. Make Puerto Deseado or Caleta
Olivia your point of  departure. From either one you have
to reach Fitz Roy. If you leave from Puerto Deseado you will
travel for 126 km. before reaching Fitz Roy and leaving from Caleta
Olivia is 87 km. away. Once you are there, take National Route 3
south for 70 km. to the crossing with Prov. Route 49, which is a
dirt road for some 50 km. You will then reach this reserve created
in 1954 to preserve the most important fossil site in Argentina.
On arrival, the ranger will explain the geological history of the
site.
This forest originated in the middle of different climatic conditions
from the present ones. The Andean Range did not exist, winds from
the Pacific Ocean caused copious rains over Patagonia, allowing
the growth of exuberant vegetation, mostly of the "araucatis mirabilis"
species, with trees towering up to 100 meters.
An intense volcanic activity and the rise of the Andean Range caused
the death of natural life. The forest remained buried under the
ashes and a long subsequent procedure produced the sudden death
of the forest. After 1,400,000 years we can contemplate the largest
petrified trees in our planet.
Some trunks correspond to specimens that were already 1,000 years
old before dying under the ashes. The trees have their roots there,
they have not been moved by the wind or by any other natural action,
this is why it is a "forest" and not an "outcrop".
You can contemplate these colossal trees, touch their granitic
hardness and admire their grandiose appearance. A site not to be
missed!
Visiting hours are from 10:00 am to 8:00 p.m. Admission is free
and although camping is available (no services), you are not allowed
to stay overnight in the whole jurisdiction.
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