225-MillionYear-Old Petrified Opal Tree Trunk

Eruptions from nearby volcanoes blanketed the area in volcanic ash, which introduced silica into the groundwater

Particularly intriguing about the fossilized, or petrified trees is what’s inside them. In one trunk there is opal, a stone we consider semi-precious that makes beautiful rings and other jewelry. This past spring, in March of 2020, experts found this trunk filled with lines of opal, a striking and unusual finding even in this oddly bleak but beautiful place.