Painted Desert (Arizona)

Lore & Background

He located these some 40 miles east of Petrified Forest National Park. Finding the cities were not made of gold, Coronado sent an expedition to find the Colorado River to gain supplies. Passing through the wonderland of colors, they named the area El Desierto Pintado.

Reader's Guide

The Painted Desert is composed of stratified layers of siltstone, mudstone, and shale of the Triassic Chinle Formation, which erode easily. These fine-grained rock layers contain abundant iron and manganese compounds, providing the pigments for the various colors. Thin, resistant lacustrine limestone layers and volcanic flows cap the mesas. Numerous layers of silicic volcanic ash occur in the Chinle and provide the silica for the petrified logs. The erosion of these layers has resulted in the formation of the badlands topography. In the southern portions, the remains of a Triassic period coniferous forest have fossilized over millions of years. Wind, water and soil erosion continue to change the landscape. An assortment of fossilized prehistoric plants and animals are found, as well as ancient dinosaur tracks and evidence of early human habitation. Much of the Painted Desert within Petrified Forest National Park is protected as Petrified Forest Wilderness, where motorized travel is limited. The desert continues north into the Navajo Nation, where off-road travel is allowed only by permit. The Painted Desert has a cold desert climate, with hot, dry summers and chilly, virtually snow-free winters. Annual precipitation is the lowest in northern Arizona.

Did You Know?

• The desert is composed of stratified layers of the Triassic Chinle Formation, which erode easily.
• The colors come from iron and manganese compounds in the fine-grained rock layers.