20 Turned To Stone

I’m joining Becky in her July Square Photo Challenge over at The Life of B.  The rules of the challenge are simple: most photos must be square and fit the theme word tree. Look for #treesquare. Come with me on a Central Queensland road trip starring trees and the beautiful landscapes of my home state.

Emerald

More than 250 million years ago, a tree fell to the ground near a waterway in the area where Emerald now stands. It was washed downstream and quickly buried by sediment and over time became fossilised by a process of mineralisation.

The petrified tree lay buried in the soil until it was unearthed during the construction of a bridge over the Mackenzie River in 1979. It is now on display in front of the Emerald Town Hall on Egerton Street.