Petrified National Forest, Geology & Paleontology, A Virtual Tour

Catherine Rooney, Arizona Western College

Initial Publication Date: October 13, 2025

Summary

Late Triassic Geology and Paleontology in what is now Arizona.
This is a virtual field trip that leads the student through the Petrified Forest national Park, with explanations of the: geology; topography; paleontology (briefly); with a quick look inside the paleontological lab situated at the park. Meant to explain and inspire.

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Context

Audience

I use it as a lab for Historical Geology students who are taking Geology either as a major or as a general education class.

Skills and concepts that students must have mastered

General/basic understanding of geologic time, sedimentation and sedimentary layers.

How the activity is situated in the course

It is stand alone, but I use it as a lab after we've covered Geologic Time. It has a little geochemistry but I cover that in the virtual field trip.

Goals

Content/concepts goals for this activity

Understanding of how the landscape developed physically and chemically and the processes of fossilization,

Higher order thinking skills goals for this activity

Synthesis of ideas, how the position of "Arizona" 225 million years ago, it's landforms and climate led to the creation and preservation of the sedimentary layers and fossils that make the park such a treasure.

Skills goals for this activity

The lab involves answering questions, here it is at the instructor's discretion what standards to use, i.e. whole sentences or merely phrases, or even a word or two. It is assumed that basic English formats such as capitalizing proper names, are adhered to.

Description and Teaching Materials

It is a lab requiring computers. The lab worksheet gives the students the links that take them to the virtual field trip, so I publish it on my course page so they can simply click on them. I have them fill out the paper lab worksheet, but that can also be posted and completed on-line
Student Handout for Petrified Forest vft (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) bytes Oct1 25)
Key to Petrified Forest vft (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) bytes Oct1 25)

Teaching Notes and Tips

Nothing noted