Petrified Forest National Park - Quiz
  • 1. During which epoch did the trees that became fossils in Petrified Forest National Park live?
A) Paleogene Period
B) Cretaceous Period
C) Early Jurassic Epoch
D) Late Triassic Epoch
  • 2. What was the climate like during the Late Triassic Epoch in the region now known as Petrified Forest National Park?
A) Temperate and forested
B) Arid and desert-like
C) Humid and sub-tropical
D) Cold and glacial
  • 3. What supercontinent was the region near during the Late Triassic Epoch?
A) Rodinia
B) Gondwana
C) Laurasia
D) Pangaea
  • 4. Which formation contains the fossil logs in Petrified Forest National Park?
A) Kaibab Limestone
B) Coconino Sandstone
C) Bidahochi Formation
D) Chinle Formation
  • 5. What is the maximum thickness of the Chinle Formation in the park?
A) 800 feet (240 m)
B) 500 feet (150 m)
C) 600 feet (180 m)
D) 1000 feet (300 m)
  • 6. What type of clay in the Chinle Formation swells when wet and shrinks while drying?
A) Bentonite
B) Illite
C) Montmorillonite
D) Kaolinite
  • 7. What geological feature is caused by the swelling and shrinking of bentonite clay?
A) Landslides
B) Volcanic eruptions
C) Surface movement and cracking
D) Earthquakes
  • 8. How many million years ago did tectonic movements begin uplifting the Colorado Plateau?
A) 60 million years ago
B) 30 million years ago
C) 80 million years ago
D) 100 million years ago
  • 9. What is an unconformity in geological terms as seen in Petrified Forest National Park?
A) A fossil bed
B) A break in the rock record
C) A sedimentary basin
D) A layer of volcanic ash
  • 10. Which formation rests directly atop the Chinle Formation in Petrified Forest National Park?
A) Supai Group
B) Bidahochi Formation
C) Hermit Shale
D) Redwall Limestone
  • 11. What type of deposits make up the older layers of the Bidahochi Formation?
A) Glacial till
B) Volcanic ash and lava
C) Fluvial and lacustrine deposits
D) Marine sediments
  • 12. Where in the park can a maar vent be seen?
A) From the Painted Desert Visitor Center
B) From the Pintado Point lookout
C) From the Newspaper Rock
D) From the Crystal Forest Trailhead
  • 13. What is the age range of older dunes in Petrified Forest National Park?
A) 750,000 years to 20,000 years
B) 200,000 years to 50,000 years
C) 1 million years to 100,000 years
D) 500,000 years to 10,000 years
  • 14. What stabilizes young dunes in the park?
A) Human activity
B) Animal burrows
C) Grasses and other vegetation
D) Rock formations
  • 15. What is the approximate length of Petrified Forest National Park from north to south?
A) 20 miles (32 km)
B) 30 miles (50 km)
C) 40 miles (64 km)
D) 15 miles (24 km)
  • 16. What is the maximum width of the park in the north?
A) 5 miles (8 km)
B) 10 miles (16 km)
C) 12 miles (20 km)
D) 15 miles (24 km)
  • 17. What is the minimum width of the park along a narrow corridor?
A) 2 miles (3.2 km)
B) 3 miles (4.8 km)
C) 5 miles (8 km)
D) About 1 mile (1.6 km)
  • 18. Which major east-west route bisects Petrified Forest National Park?
A) U.S. Route 89
B) Arizona State Route 260
C) I-40, the former U.S. Route 66
D) Interstate 17
  • 19. What is the name of the ghost town located about 1 mile west of the park?
A) Winslow
B) Adamana
C) Jerome
D) Holbrook
  • 20. Which city is nearest to Petrified Forest National Park?
A) Flagstaff
B) Holbrook
C) Sedona
D) Cottonwood
  • 21. What road runs north-south through the park?
A) U.S. Route 180
B) Arizona State Route 89A
C) Historic Highway 66
D) Park Road
  • 22. What type of terrain is found in the northern part of the park?
A) Major petrified wood deposits
B) Gentle hills
C) Mountainous regions
D) Eroded badlands
  • 23. Which river does most of the park's intermittent streams empty into?
A) The Puerco River
B) The Colorado River
C) The Gila River
D) The Little Colorado River
  • 24. What is the approximate area covered by the park owned by NPS?
A) 300 square miles (780 km2)
B) 150 square miles (390 km2)
C) 230 square miles (600 km2)
D) 100 square miles (260 km2)
  • 25. Which nation borders the park on the north and northeast?
A) The Apache Nation
B) The Hopi Nation
C) The Navajo Nation
D) The Zuni Nation
  • 26. In which U.S. states is Petrified Forest National Park located?
A) New Mexico
B) Colorado
C) Arizona
D) Utah
  • 27. When was Petrified Forest declared a national monument?
A) 1980
B) 1906
C) 1962
D) 1924
  • 28. What is the Chinle Formation known for?
A) Large mammal fossils
B) Colorful sediments containing fossil logs
C) Geologically recent rock layers
D) Modern plant species
  • 29. What type of ancient reptiles have been found in the park?
A) Mammals
B) Birds
C) Dinosaurs
D) Phytosaurs
  • 30. What type of dwellings did Ancestral Pueblo farmers live in by one thousand years ago?
A) Tents
B) Caves
C) Subterranean pit houses
D) Above-ground, masonry dwellings called pueblos
  • 31. What problem related to petrified wood continues in the park?
A) Fossil excavation by scientists
B) Theft
C) Natural erosion
D) Tourism development
  • 32. What type of fossilization allowed for the study of cellular structures in some park fossils?
A) Cast fossils are used to examine cellular make-up.
B) Compression fossils allow for the study of cellular structures.
C) Mold fossils preserve detailed cellular structures.
D) Permineralized fossils retain much of their original organic structure.
  • 33. Which extinct conifer tree is most commonly found as petrified wood in Petrified Forest National Park?
A) Woodworthia arizonica
B) Araucarioxylon arizonicum
C) Metasequoia glyptostroboides
D) Sequoia sempervirens
  • 34. How many species of fossil trees have been identified in Petrified Forest National Park?
A) Five species
B) Twelve species
C) At least nine species
D) Twenty species
  • 35. Which group of plants is NOT represented among the fossil plant taxa in Petrified Forest National Park?
A) Ferns
B) Cycads
C) Mosses
D) Lycophytes
  • 36. What type of dinosaur fossils are found in the Petrified Forest National Park?
A) Ankylosaurs
B) Early theropod dinosaurs
C) Brachiosaurids
D) Stegosaurs
  • 37. What is the Köppen climate classification for Petrified Forest National Park?
A) Tropical rainforest (Af)
B) Cold semi-arid (BSk)
C) Humid continental (Dfa)
D) Mediterranean (Csa)
  • 38. What type of structures did Ancestral Pueblo families build during the Basketmaker III period?
A) Large pueblos with several hundred rooms
B) Above-ground masonry buildings
C) Stone towers
D) Shallow subterranean pit structures
  • 39. What is the name of the small masonry structure built from petrified wood that is open to the public?
A) Puerco Pueblo
B) Chinle House
C) Stone Axe
D) Agate House
  • 40. What was one reason for the out-migration of Ancestral Pueblo families from the Petrified Forest area?
A) A persistently dry climate
B) Increased volcanic activity
C) Earthquakes
D) Invasion by foreign tribes
  • 41. What name did Amiel Whipple give to the creek where he found petrified wood?
A) Triassic Creek
B) Lithodendron Creek (Stone Tree Creek)
C) Petrified Wood Creek
D) Chalcedony Creek
  • 42. What type of transport was experimentally used in a wagon road built between 1857 and 1860?
A) Horses
B) Camels
C) Mules
D) Oxen
  • 43. What was the Petrified Forest originally called when visitors could book a hotel room at Adamana train station?
A) Triassic Forest
B) Lithodendron Woods
C) Petrified Woodland
D) Chalcedony Forest
  • 44. In which year did the Arizona Territorial Legislature ask Congress to create a petrified forest national park?
A) 1883
B) 1906
C) 1919
D) 1895
  • 45. Which act signed by President Theodore Roosevelt was used to create the Petrified Forest National Monument in 1906?
A) National Park Service Act
B) Conservation Act
C) Antiquities Act
D) Preservation Act
  • 46. What year did the Petrified Forest become a national park?
A) 1985
B) 1962
C) 1934
D) 1906
  • 47. How many acres was the Petrified Forest National Park authorized to expand to in 2004?
A) 300,000 acres
B) 218,533 acres
C) 100,000 acres
D) 150,000 acres
  • 48. Who was the first archeologist to visit Puerco Ruin?
A) Walter Hough
B) H.P. Mera
C) John Muir
D) Jessee Walter Fewkes
  • 49. Which conservationist conducted the first excavations of Puerco Ruin in 1905–06?
A) John Muir
B) Walter Hough
C) H.P. Mera
D) Jessee Walter Fewkes
  • 50. Who conducted paleontological explorations in the park region in 1899?
A) Paleobotanist Lester Ward
B) Ynez Mexia
C) Charles Camp
D) Annie Alexander
  • 51. Where is the fossil material collected by Lester Ward now deposited?
A) Smithsonian Institution
B) Museum of Northern Arizona
C) University of California Museum of Paleontology
D) American Museum of Natural History
  • 52. Who discovered a phytosaur skull near Blue Mesa in 1919?
A) Annie Alexander
B) Ynez Mexia
C) Maurice Mehl
D) Charles Camp
  • 53. Who visited Blue Mesa to collect more phytosaur specimens after the 1919 discovery?
A) Maurice Mehl
B) Charles Camp
C) Annie Alexander
D) Ynez Mexia
  • 54. Which paleontologist was the most prolific collector in the early 20th century?
A) Paul Olsen
B) Charles Camp
C) Michael Parrish
D) Edwin Colbert
  • 55. What type of vegetation form is associated with the Grama Bouteloua/Galleta Hilaria Steppe in Petrified Forest National Park?
A) Tropical Rainforest
B) Great Basin montane forest
C) Desert Grassland
D) Alpine Tundra
  • 56. How many species of flora were found in a 2005 survey within Petrified Forest National Park?
A) 600
B) 300
C) 500
D) 447
  • 57. How many invasive plant species are present in the park according to the 2005 survey?
A) 30
B) 57
C) 75
D) 100
  • 58. What is the main environment of Petrified Forest National Park despite its fossils and eroded badlands?
A) Alpine Tundra
B) Semi-desert shrub steppe
C) Tropical Rainforest
D) Coastal Dune
  • 59. Which of the following is a dominant plant species in Petrified Forest National Park?
A) Oak tree
B) Blue grama
C) Pine tree
D) Maple tree
  • 60. Name one flowering species found growing among the grasses in the park.
A) Tulip
B) Rose
C) Daisy
D) Evening primrose
  • 61. Which shrub is native to Petrified Forest National Park?
A) Camellia
B) Azalea
C) Sagebrush
D) Rhododendron
  • 62. What type of grass species are bearded sprangletop and bush muhly?
A) Native perennial bunchgrass
B) Tropical grass
C) Non-native ornamental grass
D) Invasive annual grass
  • 63. Which invasive species crowds out slower-spreading natives in the park?
A) Annual lovegrass
B) Cactus
C) Pine tree
D) Oak tree
  • 64. What is one of the larger plants found in riparian zones along the park's washes?
A) Tropical palm
B) Willows
C) Oak tree
D) Pine tree
  • 65. Which invasive plant threatens native species by increasing soil salinity in riparian zones?
A) Cactus
B) Oak tree
C) Pine tree
D) Eurasian tamarisk (saltcedar)
  • 66. Which animal is known for its ability to sprint at speeds of up to 60 miles per hour?
A) Foxes
B) Bobcats
C) Pronghorns
D) Coyotes
  • 67. Which animal lives in colonies known as 'towns'?
A) Black-tailed jackrabbits
B) Bobcats
C) Coyotes
D) Prairie dogs
  • 68. Which species of lizard is the largest and most often seen in Petrified Forest National Park?
A) Gopher snakes
B) Plateau striped whiptails
C) Side-blotched lizards
D) Collared lizard
  • 69. Which amphibian is the largest toad found in Petrified Forest National Park?
A) Spadefoot toads
B) Great Plains toad
C) Red-spotted toads
D) Woodhouse's toads
  • 70. How many species of birds are known to have occurred in Petrified Forest National Park since it became a protected area?
A) 216
B) 300
C) 100
D) 150
  • 71. Which bird is the largest found in Petrified Forest National Park?
A) Common raven
B) Western meadowlark
C) Golden eagle
D) Anna's hummingbird
  • 72. What type of birds are most diverse during fall and winter migrations in Petrified Forest National Park?
A) Ground birds
B) Birds
C) Songbirds
D) Raptors
  • 73. Which bird is known for its ability to hover and fly backwards as well as forwards?
A) Common raven
B) Western meadowlark
C) Golden eagle
D) Anna's hummingbird
  • 74. Which bird species is attracted to developed areas around the visitor center and museum?
A) All of the above
B) Hermit warblers
C) House finches
D) Western tanagers
  • 75. Which snake sometimes imitates rattlesnakes when disturbed?
A) Collared lizards
B) Side-blotched lizards
C) Prairie rattlesnakes
D) Gopher snakes
  • 76. Which amphibian is most active in the rainy season, July through September?
A) Red-spotted toads
B) Tiger salamanders
C) Woodhouse's toads
D) Spadefoot toads
  • 77. Which bird is known for its charming song?
A) Common raven
B) Western meadowlark
C) Anna's hummingbird
D) Golden eagle
  • 78. Which architect designed the Painted Desert Visitor Center?
A) Le Corbusier
B) Zaha Hadid
C) Frank Lloyd Wright
D) Richard Neutra
  • 79. What historic designation was given to the Painted Desert Inn in 1987?
A) State Historical Monument
B) National Historic Landmark
C) Local Historic District
D) World Heritage Site
  • 80. What is the name of the orientation movie shown at the visitor center?
A) Timeless Impressions
B) Ancient Landscapes
C) Desert Wonders
D) Petrified Forest Secrets
  • 81. How often is 'Timeless Impressions' shown at the visitor center?
A) Three times a day
B) Once every half-hour
C) Every hour
D) Twice a day
  • 82. What type of service is available at the Rainbow Forest Museum complex?
A) Full restaurant service
B) Catering services
C) Limited food service
D) Buffet-style meals
  • 83. What is not allowed on trails and unpaved surfaces in Petrified Forest National Park?
A) Foot traffic
B) Horses
C) Motorcycles
D) Bicycles
  • 84. How many maintained hiking trails are there in the park?
A) Nine
B) Five
C) Seven
D) Ten
  • 85. What is limited to eight people in Petrified Forest National Park?
A) Visitor center tours
B) Backpacking expeditions
C) Day hiking groups
D) Group camping
  • 86. What type of program is offered at the Painted Desert Inn?
A) A cooking class
B) A tour
C) A painting session
D) A dance workshop
  • 87. What type of vehicle travel is not allowed in the park?
A) Commercial tours
B) Bicycles on paved roads
C) Off-road vehicle travel
D) Private automobiles
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