The Nat. Monument Petrified Forest
is situated in the northwest of Santa Cruz
province.
The palaeolithic field was discovered at the
beginning of the century.
This petrified forest arose some 100
millons of years ago when the weather of Patagonia was different.
At that moment the Andes did not exist therefor humed winds, coming
from the Pacific ocean, brought rain to the region making the trees
grow up to 70 meters height and more.
Today all of them have become
stones because during the Andes formation, all the volcanic ashes
covered the forest and transform it. The arid Patagonian weather
has preserved it until today.
