Most of Florissant’s petrified stumps occur just below the floor of the valley. Small chips of petrified wood along the ground show where they are located. The ones that you can see today are in pits that were dug by early landowners in the 1920s. Some evidence suggests that dynamite was used during these excavations to loosen the rock around the stumps, but this also caused cracks to develop in the stumps. When water enters these cracks, it can freeze and thaw many times during the year in Florissant’s cold climate. This ice causes expansion, which then leads to ongoing deterioration.
Close up of stump P-47 and its crumbling.
NPS
The stump you see here is being used to test new methods for stabilizing the petrified stumps to prevent future damage. Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument is working with conservation experts at the University of Pennsylvania to assess the damage and reattach loose pieces. An important part of this future conservation will be to develop structures that will enclose the stumps and provide better protection from rain, snow, and cold temperatures.
A weather station has been installed beside this stump to measure air temperature as well as the temperature along the surface of the stump and inside the cracks. It also measures the ground moisture on top of the stump and around its base.
NPS
Conservation experts and students from the University of Pennsylvania are working to attach pieces that have fallen from the petrified stump.
