Monthly Archives: May 2024

Bobby Socks Trees, Yellowstone National Park. Several weeks ago we drove to Yellowstone for the weekend, and noticed these white bottom tree trunks. From Wikipedia we learned about the cause: “These are lodgepole pines that died by shifting hot spring run-off. By capillary action the trees soaked up mineral laden water, which colors their bases white and retards decay. Dissolved minerals in the water deposited a crust of white silica on the bottom of the dead trees and stumps. This silica, a non-crystalline compound, slowly impregnates the wood and over time, with the absence of oxygen, could eventually petrify the wood. These skeletons have stood here for decades.” #bobbysockstrees #yellowstonenationalpark #lodgepolepines

Bobby Socks Trees, Yellowstone National Park. Several weeks ago we drove to Yellowstone for the weekend, and noticed these white bottom tree trunks. From Wikipedia we learned about the cause: “These are lodgepole pines that died by shifting hot spring run-off. By capillary action the trees soaked up mineral laden water, which colors their bases white and retards decay. Dissolved minerals in the water deposited a crust of white silica on the bottom of the dead trees and stumps. This silica, a non-crystalline compound, slowly impregnates the wood and over time, with the absence of oxygen, could eventually petrify the wood. These skeletons have stood here for decades.”

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