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Ormachea Petrified Woods


156 km to the west of Comodoro Rivadavia is Sarmiento Colony. This is the nearest town to the petrified forests area. Different geological folds sank these forest areas that, at present and after about 100 million years, arose due to the erosive action of the winds. These forests are made up of fossilized trees that were found in the same place where they stood a long time ago; a proof of that is that they were petrified when they found them, but they were also standing, with their roots still buried in the soil and almost entirely covered with volcanic ash.

This process took place in a large region of Chubut province and in the north of Santa Cruz province. The Jose Ormachea forest is located 376 km from Comodoro Rivadavia. It is a full day tour where you can find the fossils of ancient petrified araucarias of about 80 million years of age surrounded by hills of different shades of green, red, yellow, ochre and gray, offer an unforgettable scene to the visitor.