The Present Touches the Past
Just beyond the circular wooden fence in front of you is a young ponderosa pine tree growing out of the top of an ancient petrified redwood tree stump. The huge redwood tree was buried by a volcanic mudflow and was later exposed by erosion. The bottom 15 feet (4.6 meters) of the tree became petrified. Imagine the changes in this area over the past 34 million years.
Responding to Climate Change
Climate changes over the millenia brought different kinds of forests and animal life. Millions of trees grew in thousands of generations of forest which continually changed compostion through time. Gradually, the forest of redwoods became the forest of ponderosa pines. Today, you literally see the present growing out of the past.
Erected by National Park Service.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Environment • Paleontology • Parks & Recreational Areas.
Location. 38° 54.772′ N, 105° 17.158′ W. Marker is near Florissant, Colorado, in Teller County. It can be reached from County Road 1. Marker is along the Ponderosa Loop Trail at Florissant
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Regionally, this marker is in the Colorado High Rockies and in Pikes Peak Region. It is also in the American Mountain West. Globally, it is in North America, the Rocky Mountains, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Life in the Forest (within shouting distance of this marker); Reading the Rings (within shouting distance of this marker); Stumps of Stone (within shouting distance of this marker); Dawn of the Recent Past (within shouting distance of this marker); Florissant Valley Today (within shouting distance of this marker); Ancient Clones (within shouting distance of this marker); Delicate Impressions (within shouting distance of this marker); Ancient Forest Diversity (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Florissant.
Also see . . . Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument.
Credits. This page was last revised on October 23, 2020. It was originally submitted on October 23, 2020, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. This page has been viewed 204 times since then and 12 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on October 23, 2020, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.
