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 Elena Lapuente  Santiago Gaudio |
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Another uttermost attraction in Puerto Deseado is the most important fossil deposit in Argentina: Jaramillo Petrified Forest.
This Natural Monument was created on May 5 1954 by decree Nº 7252 of the Executive Power in order to preservate the fossil deposit. To get there you must drive 256 km. to the south west of Puerto Deseado passing by Fitz Roy and through routes 281 and 3 to the south. |
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You must drive 70 km. to the crossing to Provincial Route 49, and some 50 km. more to the reserve.
25 km. before the forest is Estancia La Paloma, which belongs to Mr. Urricelqui, with a camping site, bathrooms and firerings. This estancia has a surface of 10.000 ha. and contains the two biggest petrified trees in the planet. |
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There are 30 m. long tree trunks with a diameter of 2 m. This forest developed when climatic conditions were different from the present ones, when the high mountains of the Andes did not exist and the wet winds from the Pacific Ocean fell abundantly on Patagonia. This gave way to an abundant vegetation with trees of more than 100 m. |
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The aim of the reserve is to preserve the paleontology deposit and divulge the need to preserve and care for future generations and scientific research.
The Andes arose together wih an intense volcanic activity, which caused the abrupt disappearing of flora and fauna that was buried under the ashes. |
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This petrified forest is a sample of the process occured in South America during the Devonian period some 350 million years ago, when the first terrestrial plants later evolved into the present ones appeared on the planet.
1.400.000 years have already passed and these fossil trees still show their roots intact inspite of the hard wind and other natural actions. Today we still have the possibility to contemplate those giants, touch their granitic constitution and admire them in their grandeur. The access is free, and the timetable is from 10 hs. to 12 hs. There is a camping site but no services, for what it is not allowed to stay overnight in the area. A ranger from the National Park Administration explains the geological history of the place. |
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See also: Hotels in Puerto Deseado and other accommodation venues |
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