Multiple trilobite fragments fossilized in the same rock
USNM_35225 and USNM_35227: Pictured are multiple trilobite fragments fossilized in the same rock. These are commonly known as hash beds. "Hash" is an indicator of a near-shore environment, where waves could hav... More
Multiple trilobite fragments fossilized in the same rock
USNM_35227 (pictured) and USNM_35225: Multiple trilobite fragments are fossilized in the same rock, these are commonly known as hash beds. "Hash" is an indicator of a near-shore environment, where waves could h... More
The outside of the Carnegie Exhibit Hall and the shuttle stop.
The Carnegie Exhibit Hall is named after Andrew Carnegie who in 1909 financed the early excavation of the Late Jurassic dinosaur fossils found here. It houses the wall of bones, which displays the fossilized ... More
National parks: Eusmilis - public domain image
Eusmilis, a nimravid that lived in the Turtle Cove about 29 million years ago
Cycle of Life - National Parks Gallery
And so, for 65 million years, the animals continued their journey, watching and waiting for the moon, as the cycle of life continues.
The volcanic Bidahochi Formation
The volcanic Bidahochi Formation caps and protects the Chinle Formation exposures along the Painted Desert Mesa at the north end of the park. The gap between the Bidahochi and Chinle Formations represents about... More
Horseshoe Crab’s Crown - National Parks Gallery
Horseshoe Crab’s Crown, a charming children’s book, traces the imagined re-creation journey of life on earth after the asteroid strike that wiped out the dinosaurs through 65 million years.
Horseshoe Crab's Crown - National Parks Gallery
Horseshoe Crab’s Crown, a charming children’s book, traces the imagined re-creation journey of life on earth after the asteroid strike that wiped out the dinosaurs through 65 million years.
Our Allosaurus Fragilis skull. - Public domain natural history illustr...
This is a skull of an Allosaurus Fragilis, one of the prevalent meat eaters found in the Morrison Formation during the Late Jurassic period, about 150 million years ago. The Allosaurus was our second largest p... More
Excavations at the fossil bed, Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument,...
The fossil beds at Hagerman National Monument are most famous for the abundance of fossilized and well-preserved Equus simplicidens skeletons, known as the Hagerman horse, Hagerman zebra or American zebra. Over... More
Excavations at the fossil bed, Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument,...
Smithsonian excavation in 1930. The fossil beds at Hagerman National Monument are most famous for the abundance of fossilized and well-preserved Equus simplicidens skeletons, known as the Hagerman horse, Hagerm... More
Gold Belt Tour Scenic and Historic Byway - Petrified Tree Stumps
The original finding aid described this photograph as: Original Caption: Designated a National Monument in 1969, Florissant Fossil Beds preserves incredibly detailed insect and plant fossils dating to 34 milli... More
The fossil featured here is a leaf of a Macginitiea wyominensis, which...
YELL_92942: The fossil featured here is a leaf of a Macginitiea wyominensis, which is a member of the sycamore family. This particular plant existed during the Eocene, between 50 and 34 million years ago.
Yellowstone National Park, Articulate brachiopods
YELL-92017 and YELL-92024 (pictured here): Both the inarticulate (YELL-92017) and articulate brachiopods (YELL-92024) existed about 520 million years ago. The inarticulate was collected from the Park Shale, whi... More
Yellowstone National Park, Agnostid trilobite
YELL-165705: A small, Agnostid trilobite (YELL-165705) head is shown here. How did these little arthropods survive 500 million years ago? From their lack of eyes and poorly suited swimming body, scientists infe... More
Yellowstone National Park, Inarticulate brachiopods
YELL-92017 (pictured here) and YELL-92024: Both the inarticulate (YELL-92017) and articulate brachiopods (YELL-92024) existed about 520 million years ago. The inarticulate was collected from the Park Shale, wh... More
Multiple trilobite fragments fossilized in the same rock
USNM_61523: Dated about 500 million years old and collected from the Pilgrim Limestone in Yellowstone National Park, is type trilobite Tricrepicephalus yellowstonensis (USNM 61523). This particular species is j... More
trilobite Blountia polita, Yellowstone National Park
USNM_96488: The trilobite Blountia polita (USNM 96488) (pictured) was discovered in the Middle Cambrian (~520 million years ago), Pilgrim Formation of Yellowstone National Park. As trilobites continued to evolv... More
Preliminary Excavations in 1999
In October of 1999, researchers from the University of Texas at Dallas, working under a scientific research permit, discovered the 27-foot long section of dinosaur neck in Big Bend National Park. The fossil is ... More
Rhyolite Rocks, Chiricahua national monument
Rhyolite Canyon Tuff is a volcanic rock formed from a massive volcanic eruption 27 million years ago. It is compressed ash.
Passive Continental Margin (Ancient)—Grand Canyon National Park, Arizo...
The layering in the upper part of the canyon formed over 200 million years ago, when the Colorado Plateau region was part of an ancient passive continental margin.
Cinder Cone and Lava Flow - Public Domain image, National Parks Galler...
Cinder Cone National Natural Landmark: Thirty-two cinder cones surrounded by a sea of hardened lava flows that began erupting into existence 7.6 million years ago. Lava last flowed just 10,000 years ago.
Kolkheti National Park 08: Wetland Kolkhic Forests
Kolkheti National Park: Relict Wetland Kolkhic Forests. The Kolkheti lowlands include rare species (relics) typical of the tropical and subtropical vegetation that stretched across the Eurasian continent approx... More
Palmites sp., approximately 2 meters long
The presence of palm fossils indicate a much warmer and wetter climate 52 million years ago, similar to the Gulf coast states today.
Petrified Forest National Park Rainbow Forest Museum Late Triassic Mur...
Petrified Forest National Park Rainbow Forest Museum Late Triassic Mural, painted by Victor Leshyk, shows what this area looked like over 200 million years ago.
An overview picture of the Morrison Mural.
The Morrison Mural shows what we know about the Morrison environment, based on years of research by paleontologists and geologists. In the upper left portion of the photo is a cast of an Allosaurus fragilis, w... More
Cathedral Valley, Capitol Reef National Park, 2012.
Glass Mountain (foreground) is made of large gypsum (selenite) crystals deposited when seawater evaporated around 165 million years ago. After deposition and burial under rock layers, the gypsum began to move s... More
West Elk Breccia, Curecanti National Recreation Area, 2013.
The West Elk Breccia is formed from a huge volcanic lahar (i.e., volcanic flow) of ash and debris that spewed from violent, pyroclastic eruptions (i.e., spitting/fountaining lava is thrown into the air along wi... More
Twisted and folded rock near the Quarry Visitor Center
When the Rocky Mountains rose approximately 50-60 million years ago, it both folded and twisted these rock layers. With weathering, they became what you see today. This is an end of summer picture, taken late... More
Mesocyon coryphaeus by Artist in Residence Morgan Turner
A scientific illustration of Mesocyon coryphaeus was drawn by Artist in Residence Morgan Turner. Mesocyon coryphaeus was a short faced canid about the size of a coyote living around 34-24 million years ago.
Hoodoos, Bryce Canyon National Park, 2015.
Hoodoos are tall, skinny spires of rock that protrude from the bottom of arid basins and 'broken' lands. Formed in sedimentary rock, the shape of a particular hoodoo is affected by the erosional patterns of alt... More
Horseshoe crabs (Limulidae) returning to breed, Fire Island National S...
Horseshoe crabs originated around 450 million years ago and are considered 'living fossils', meaning they are similar to related species only known from fossils. In recent years, they have experienced a populat... More
Bobcat, Shenandoah National Park, 2015.
Bobcats are solitary and not often seen during the day. The bobcat (Lynx rufus) is a North American mammal that appeared around 1.8 million years ago. Twelve subspecies are currently recognized. This adaptable ... More
Elba Quartzite of Green Hill, City of Rocks National Reserve, 2015.
The Elba Quartzite was formed after the Green Creek Complex. It is one of the most distinctive geologic units of the Albion Mountains - very light in color and extremely weather-resistant (because of the high q... More
Fossils in Jurassic limestone, National Mall and Memorial Parks, 2015.
These fossil ammonites and belemnites in the Jurassic limestone from Bavaria, Germany dates back to 150 million years ago. Witness these fossils on the floor of the bookstore when visiting the Martin Luther Kin... More
Horseshoe crabs (Limulidae), Fire Island National Seashore, 2015.
Horseshoe crabs originated around 450 million years ago and are considered 'living fossils', meaning they are similar to related species only known from fossils. In recent years, they have experienced a populat... More
Hagerman Fossil Beds, Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument, 2015.
Pictured: Hagerman Fossil Beds as seen from the Snake River. This area contains fossils of species alive during the Pliocene Epoch, 3-4 million years ago. See what not-so-ancient life was like with almost 150 t... More
C. megalodon fossil tooth. PORE 8467
Fossil tooth of C. megalodon, crown and root. One of the largest vertebrate predators of the sea ever to have lived. The fossil record suggests these animals may have grown to at least 59 feet (18 meters) long.... More
Visitor Center diorama, Agate Fossil Beds National Monument, 2016.
Reconstructed skeletons of Miocene age mammals aid in understanding the early 1900s excavations. Mammals found at Agate Fossil Beds National Monument date from the early Miocene Epoch (19-21 million years ago).... More
Transform Plate Boundaries—Pinnacles National Park, California
Located near the San Andreas Fault along the boundary of the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate, is an excellent example of tectonic plate movement. Some 23 million years ago multiple volcanoes erupted,... More
Growth of the Pacific Northwest
200 million years ago the coastline of the Pacific Northwest was near Idaho’s western border. There was no Oregon and Washington!
Tectonic Evolution of the Southern Appalachian Mountains—300 Million Y...
300 Million Years Ago—Iapetus Ocean Completely Closes. The Southern Appalachians develop as the African portion of Gondwanaland crashes in, forming the supercontinent of Pangea.
West Coast Tectonic Evolution—20 Million Years Ago
As the mid-ocean ridge separating the Farallon and Pacific Plates entered the subduction zone, the Farallon Plate separated into the Juan de Fuca and Cocos Plates. A transform plate boundary developed where the... More
Tectonic Development of the Appalachian—Ouachita—Marathon Mountain Ran...
500 Million Years Ago—Iapetus Ocean Opens. Land that will later become Florida is part of Africa. The Yucatan Peninsula and Cuba may have been on the north side of South America.
Continental Rift: Topography, Earthquakes and Volcanism
The Basin and Range topography develops over a few million years as fault lines move gradually, or more abruptly during tens of thousands of earthquakes. The colder upper crust cracks and breaks along faults (l... More
Tectonic Development of the Appalachian—Ouachita—Marathon Mountain Ran...
250 Million Years Ago—Iapetus Ocean Closes. Pangea forms as the continents collide. The Appalachians are part of a larger zone of continental collision that includes the Marathon and Ouachita mountains in the s... More
![West Coast Tectonic Evolution—40 Million Years Ago [1 of 3]](https://cache.getarchive.net/Prod/thumb/cdn2/L3Bob3RvLzIwMTkvMDEvMDEvd2VzdC1jb2FzdC10ZWN0b25pYy1ldm9sdXRpb240MC1taWxsaW9uLXllYXJzLWFnby0xLW9mLTMtOTZhMzRmLTEwMjQuanBn/40/41/webp "West Coast Tectonic Evolution—40 Million Years Ago [1 of 3]")
West Coast Tectonic Evolution—40 Million Years Ago [1 of 3]
Forty million years ago, a large tectonic plate, known as the Farallon Plate, was between the Pacific and North American plates. Subduction of the Farallon Plate beneath the entire West Coast created a line of ... More
Emperor Hotspot Track—Ocean Floor
The topography and bathymetry (underwater topography) of the northern Pacific Ocean reflect the movement of the Pacific Plate over the Hawaiian Hotspot. Prior to 42 million years ago, the Pacific Plate was movi... More
Growth of the Pacific Northwest—Cross-section Illustration
Sometimes a terrane crashes in and clogs the subduction zone. A new subduction zone develops farther west. The Cascadia Subduction Zone is just the latest of several subduction zones that developed in the weste... More
![West Coast Tectonic Evolution—20 Million Years Ago [2 of 3]](https://cache.getarchive.net/Prod/thumb/cdn2/L3Bob3RvLzIwMTkvMDEvMDEvd2VzdC1jb2FzdC10ZWN0b25pYy1ldm9sdXRpb24yMC1taWxsaW9uLXllYXJzLWFnby0yLW9mLTMtMDdlMjc3LTEwMjQuanBn/40/41/webp "West Coast Tectonic Evolution—20 Million Years Ago [2 of 3]")
West Coast Tectonic Evolution—20 Million Years Ago [2 of 3]
As the mid-ocean ridge separating the Farallon and Pacific Plates entered the subduction zone, the Farallon Plate separated into the Juan de Fuca and Cocos Plates. A transform plate boundary developed where the... More
West Coast Tectonic Evolution—40 Million Years Ago
Forty million years ago, a large tectonic plate, known as the Farallon Plate, was between the Pacific and North American plates. Subduction of the Farallon Plate beneath the entire West Coast created a line of ... More
Western U. S. Terrane Accretion
The yellow and green shows material added (accreted) to the western edge of North America during the past 200 million years. The North American Craton refers to the continent that existed prior to that time. Ro... More
Yellowstone Hotspot Track—Columbia Plateau, Oregon
Columns of basalt represent vast outpourings of fluid lava that covered large portions of Oregon, Washington, and Idaho as the hotspot surfaced 17 million years ago.
Paleogeographic Globe of the Late Triassic—217 Million Years Ago
The paleogeographic map shows that, during the Late Triassic Epoch, North America straddled the equator and Petrified Forest National Park (white dot on red map of Arizona) was at about 4° north latitude.
Tectonic Evolution of the Southern Appalachian Mountains—500 Million Y...
500 Million Years Ago—Iapetus Ocean Opens. Continental blocks destined to become North America and Gondwanaland drift apart. The eastern edge of ancient North America developed into a passive continental margin... More
Emperor Hotspot Track - National Parks Gallery
The topography and bathymetry (underwater topography) of the northern Pacific Ocean reflect the movement of the Pacific Plate over the Hawaiian Hotspot. Prior to 42 million years ago, the Pacific Plate was movi... More
Tourist Attraction - Ouachita Mountains, Arkansas
The sandstone, shale and chert layers are part of a thick pile of sediments that were deformed and uplifted as Gondwanaland collided with the southern edge of ancient North America 280 million years ago.
Tectonic Evolution of the Southern Appalachian Mountains—750 Million Y...
750 Million Years Ago—Old Continent Rips Apart. The long mountain ranges and rift valleys were similar to those forming today in East Africa and the Basin and Range Province.
Southern Alaska Subduction Zone
Plate convergence that built Alaska outward as a series of accreted terranes during the past 200 million years continues today. Kenai Fjords has oceanic sedimentary layers that have been metamorphosed, uplifted... More
Tectonic Evolution of the Brooks Range—200 Million Years Ago
200 Million Years Ago—Ocean separating northern Alaska and a continental fragment begins to close.
Tectonic Development of the Appalachian—Ouachita—Marathon Mountain Ran...
"Today"—Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico Open. The modern oceans originated about 200 million years ago when Europe, Africa and South America ripped away from North America. Fragments of the collision zone mou... More
The Landscapes of Denali National Park Reveal Different Accreted Terra...
Pillow Basalt—The blobs of lava formed as fluid lava poured out on an ancient seafloor about 200 million years ago. They have since been accreted to North America and uplifted as part of the McKinley Terrane. T... More
Tectonic Development of the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico (1 of 2)
The supercontinent of Pangea formed 300 million years ago as an ancient ocean closed. A chain of mountains formed as the continents collided, including the Marathon, Ouachita and Appalachian mountians in the Un... More
Tectonic Evolution of the Southern Appalachian Mountains—400 Million Y...
400 Million Years Ago—Iapetus Ocean Narrows during Subduction. Oceanic sediments and volcanic islands were at times added to the edge of North America.
NPS Sites in Alaska - Public Domain image, National Parks Gallery
The terrane accretion that built Alaska onto the rest of North America over the past 200 million years includes the continental collision that formed the Brooks Range in the northern part of the state. The Nort... More
Tectonic Evolution of the Brooks Range—
120 Million Years Ago—Mountains Rise. The northern continent extends laterally for more than 60 miles (100 kilometers) beneath northern Alaska, thickening the crust.
Ancient Passive Margin—Colorado Plateau Region during the Paleozoic
Near the beginning of the Paleozoic Era, 500 million years ago, western North America was smaller than it is today, and near the equator. The Colorado Plateau region was along a passive continental margin. The ... More
Continental Rift Diagram - National Parks Gallery
Passive continental margins abutting the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico developed as a large continent, Pangea, ripped apart about 200 million years ago.
Tectonic Evolution of the Brooks Range—100 Million Years Ago
100 Million Years Ago—High Mountains. The mountains reach heights similar to those of the modern-day Alps, as the hard crust of northern Alaska breaks and uplifts.
Tectonic Evolution of the Brooks Range—150 Million Years Ago
150 Million Years Ago—Thick Sedimentary Layers. Continents collide but continue to converge.
Changing Coastline as Sea Level Rises and Falls
The position of the coastline is sensitive to changes in sea level. During the peak of the last ice age, about 18,000 years ago, the coastline was near the edge of the continental shelf. It would have been poss... More
Tectonic Evolution of the Ouachita Mountains—400 Million Years Ago
400 Million Years Ago—Iapetus Ocean Closes. A passive continental margin of ancient North America approaches a subduction zone on the edge of Gondwanaland.