Data from: Climate of the Chinle formation—Evidence from growth rings in and distribution of the fossil logs of Petrified Forest National Park

Logs from the Sonsela Member of the Chinle Formation in the Long Logs area of Petrified Forest National Park are exposed in plan view and are likely derived from a single horizon through most of the area. Data from several modern high-bedload, low-sinuosity rivers show that, among logs with rootballs preserved, 83% are oriented with the rootballs on the upstream ends and 17% are oriented with the rootballs on the downstream ends. Applied to the assemblage at Long Logs, flow in the river that deposited them was generally eastward. Spatial analysis shows the logs at Long Logs do not have a consistent pattern, suggesting that they were deposited by several sequential flood events.

美国石化林国家公园长原木区出露的钦利组（Chinle Formation）森塞拉段（Sonsela Member）原木以平面展布形式产出，在研究区内绝大多数区域均源自单一沉积层位。针对若干现代高推移质负载、低蜿蜒度河流的观测数据表明：在保存有根球（rootballs）的原木样本中，83%的原木以根球朝向河流上游的方式定向排布，剩余17%的原木根球则朝向河流下游。将该规律应用于长原木区的原木沉积组合，可知沉积该套原木的古河流流向整体呈东向。空间分析结果显示，长原木区的原木并未呈现统一的定向排布模式，表明其由多期连续的洪水事件共同沉积形成。