Fossils are nice to see in museums and national parks, but have you ever wanted to try your hand finding them yourself? Fossil Parks and Pay per Dig Quarries are a great place to start!
Petrification is the geological process in which organic material is turned to stone slowly over time. This process is involved in many forms of fossilization, and leaves behind many stunning and beautifully preserved fossils.
A lagerstätte (german for “storage place”) in paleontological terms is a site of exceptional fossilization, in which soft tissue preservation and other highly detailed remains can be retained and recovered.
The Kem Kem group is best known from an escarpment of rock on the Morocco-Algerian border in Northern Africa, in what is now the Kem Kem region of modern day Morocco. The Kem Kem group layers date back to the Cenomanian age of the Late Cretaceous period.
The largest ammonite fossil that has been found was 1.8 meters (5.9 feet) across, but it’s living chamber was incomplete. It is of the species Parapuzosia seppenradensis and was found near Westphalia, Germany in 1895.
In 1986 the Kentucky state legislature designated the brachiopod as the Kentucky state fossil. Brachiopods are small, filter-feeding marine organisms that superficially look like clams.
In 1988 the Utah state legislature designated Allosaurus as the Utah state fossil. In addition the Utahraptor was designated as the official state dinosaur in 2018.
In 1977 the Nevada state legislature designated the ichthyosaur fossils as the Nevada state fossil. In 1989 this designation was amended to specifically be the fossils of Shonisaurus popularis.
In 1987 the Wyoming state legislature designated the small fossil fish Knightia as the Wyoming state fossil. In addition, in 1994 Triceratops was adopted as the Wyoming state dinosaur.
The Denver Museum Of Nature and Science has announced a significant, new fossil discovery documenting the rapid rise of mammals after the KT extinction event which killed over 75% of life on earth.
In 1984 the New York state legislature designated Eurypterus remipes a type of Eurypterid, more commonly known as a sea scorpion as the New York state fossil.
In 2013 the North Carolina state legislature officially designated the fossil teeth of the prehistoric Megalodon shark as the North Carolina state fossil.
In the spring of 2015 the Eocene aged Green River Formation near Kemmerer, Wyoming yielded another amazing fossil discovery. A fully articulated primitive horse ancestor, since nicknamed “Olive”.
Some of the most impressive trilobites in the world are the exquisitely preserved spiny ones from Morocco? But what do they look like before preparation?
The horned Triceratops may be one of the most iconic dinosaurs in the world. Fossilized teeth of this dinosaur are also relatively affordable fossils to purchase.