by Amber Helsel
Many of the trees in the Mississippi Petrified Forest in Flora are thousands of years old. Photo courtesy Natalie Maynor
About 30 minutes north of Jackson is a natural landmark that is thousands of years old: the Mississippi Petrified Forest. The trees are tall—so tall that they make it hard to see the sky. In the fall, leaves in shades of brown cover the walkways and bridges. In the spring and summer, green dominates the scene, covering nearly every inch of the forest. Large chunks of petrified wood sit at different places on the trail, most serving as markers on the trail.
R.J. "Bob" and Shirl Schabilion bought the forest in August 1962 and taught locals about conserving and preserving natural resources. Eventually, they opened the site to the public.
Scientists believe the forest formed 36 million years ago when fir and maple logs floated to the site down an ancient river. As the area continued to flood, water covered the logs with more sand and silt, causing the once-100-plus-foot giants to decay and the petrification process to begin. As the glaciers gradually melted near the end of the Ice Age, the river carried glacial dust, depositing it on flood plains. Dust storms buried the forest, and grass, bushes and trees grew in the soil. Then, wind and rain tore away at the plant life and soil until small gullies appeared. Nature widened and deepened the gullies into ravines, and erosion ate away the lower layer of red sands and silts of the Forest Hill formation. Rain drilled at the grains of sand until some of the petrified logs became visible. As the sands moved away, the logs tumbled into the ravine, creating the Mississippi Petrified Forest.
Scientists believe the forest formed 36 million years ago when fir and maple logs floated to the site down an ancient river. As the area continued to flood, water covered the logs with more sand and silt, causing the once-100-plus-foot giants to decay and the petrification process to begin. As the glaciers gradually melted near the end of the Ice Age, the river carried glacial dust, depositing it on flood plains. Dust storms buried the forest, and grass, bushes and trees grew in the soil. Then, wind and rain tore away at the plant life and soil until small gullies appeared. Nature widened and deepened the gullies into ravines, and erosion ate away the lower layer of red sands and silts of the Forest Hill formation. Rain drilled at the grains of sand until some of the petrified logs became visible. As the sands moved away, the logs tumbled into the ravine, creating the Mississippi Petrified Forest.
Stone-like wood and trees dot the nature trail at the Mississippi Petrified forest. Photo by Amber Helsel The nature trail takes about 30 minutes to complete. After paying admission, a door leads out to a wood-lined path that winds through trees, hills and large petrified trees. With the petrification process, many of them have basically turned to stone, so they're cold to the touch. One of the most popular exhibits is Caveman's Bench. It's a large hunk of wood that has been weathered into somewhat of a bench. Many visitors who go to the forest will stop to sit on the bench and take selfies.
The petrified forest has more than 20 exhibits, including eroded bluffs that are beginning to reveal more petrified wood, and a dried-out ravine. The trail has signs identifying plants such as the loblolly pine tree. One interesting part about the forest is that, as the weather erodes the area, more of prehistory reveals itself.
After the walk, visitors enter the Earth Science Museum, which has examples of petrified wood, gems, geodes and fossils from Mississippi and across the world. In the back of the gift shop, visitors can search for precious stones in the gem-mining flume, and watch comedic and educational black-light exhibits that feature characters in a mine. The gift shop contains different types of gem stones from across the world, and also, jewelry, toys and other items.
The Mississippi Petrified Forest (124 Forest Park Road, Flora, 601.879.8189) is open Sunday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, visit mspetrifiedforest.com.
The petrified forest has more than 20 exhibits, including eroded bluffs that are beginning to reveal more petrified wood, and a dried-out ravine. The trail has signs identifying plants such as the loblolly pine tree. One interesting part about the forest is that, as the weather erodes the area, more of prehistory reveals itself.
After the walk, visitors enter the Earth Science Museum, which has examples of petrified wood, gems, geodes and fossils from Mississippi and across the world. In the back of the gift shop, visitors can search for precious stones in the gem-mining flume, and watch comedic and educational black-light exhibits that feature characters in a mine. The gift shop contains different types of gem stones from across the world, and also, jewelry, toys and other items.
The Mississippi Petrified Forest (124 Forest Park Road, Flora, 601.879.8189) is open Sunday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, visit mspetrifiedforest.com.
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