Fossils

Duration:

3 minutes, 38 seconds

Glen Canyon and Rainbow Bridge contain a rich abundance of geologic formations. Learn about the significance of fossils found within these formations.

 

The skull of a plesiosaur (extinct marine reptile) discovered at Glen Canyon National Recreation Area

The rocks of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area preserve a complex story of life on Earth dating back over 300 million years. Hidden within these sandstone layers are the remains of extinct amphibians that sported giant sail-like protrusions on their backs, the footprints of dinosaurs straight out of Jurassic Park, and dung from Ice Age megafauna like mammoths and giant ground sloths. Information hidden within the barren rocks found here today hint to massive changes to a land that was at one time a shallow sea, an expansive sand dune, even expansive swamp lands. The stories hidden within these rocks are diverse, complicated, and extremely valuable to scientists. They provide us with valuable information that helps us to not only reconstruct the ancient environments and animal communities of northern Arizona and southern Utah, but to connect Glen Canyons story with the countless others preserved all over the world.

 

• 

  Mesozoic Fossils

  Read a summary of Mesozoic Era fossils: made up of Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous Period (all the good ones) in Glen Canyon.

• 

  Glen Canyon's National Fossil Day

  Read about the real fossils in Glen Canyon that inspired the 2024 National Fossil Day artwork.

• 

  Geology

  Swoopy rocks and hidden fossils

• 

  NPS Fossils

  Fossils are found in the rocks, museum collections, and cultural contexts of more than 280 National Park Service areas.

• 

  It's Up To You And Me

  Preservation

  Glen Canyon National Recreation Area preserves a record of more than 10,000 years of human presence.