Mississippi Petrified Forest

{{Short description|Petrified forest in Mississippi, United States}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2025}}

{{Infobox park

| name = Mississippi Petrified Forest

| photo = Petrified Forest.jpg

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| map = USA Mississippi

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| map_caption = Map of Mississippi

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| location = Madison County, Mississippi

| nearest_city = Flora

| coords = {{coord|32.52073|N|90.32296|W|region:US-MS|format=dms|display=inline,title}}

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| designated = 1965

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Mississippi Petrified Forest is a petrified forest located near Flora, Mississippi, in the United States. It is privately owned and open for public visits. The forest is believed to have been formed 36 million years ago when fir and maple logs washed down an ancient river channel to the current site where they later became petrified.{{cite web|url=http://www.nature.nps.gov/nnl/site.cfm?Site=MIPE-MS|title=National Natural Landmark Summary|date=February 5, 2004|publisher=National Park Service|accessdate=2009-03-30}} It is one of only two petrified forests in the eastern United States, the other being Gilboa Fossil Forest in New York. It was declared a National Natural Landmark in October 1965.{{cite web|url=http://www.mspetrifiedforest.com|title=Mississippi Petrified Forest|work=Mississippi Petrified Forest official site|accessdate=2009-02-28}}{{cite news|url=https://select.nytimes.com/mem/archive/pdf?res=FA0715FB3B5D1B728DDDAC0894DA415B858AF1D3|title=20 New Landmarks Approved by U.S.|date=December 5, 1965|work=The New York Times|accessdate=2009-03-15}}

File:Mississippi Petrified Forest.JPG

The site features a museum with examples of petrified wood found in every state and from other countries. The samples include a variety of plant materials, including leaves, fruits, cones and bark. Other fossils and fossil casts are on display, including dinosaur footprints, whale bones and turtle shells.