Harpers Corner Trail Stop 14

These fossilized sea creatures predate the dinosaurs.

NPS Photo/Conrad Provan

Quick Facts

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Scenic View/Photo Spot

Back at stop number seven, it was noted that the rocks in Whirlpool Canyon were formed in ancient seas. How do we know this? First, the rocks are made up of fine grained sediments like the muds usually found on sea bottoms; and second, they sometimes are embedded with fossils of seas creatures. Look closely at the rocks beneath your feet, you may be able to spot the clam-like shells of brachiopods, and pieces of the stems of crinoids or “sea lilies,” animals actually related to starfish. Though they lived hundreds of millions of years ago, even before the dinosaurs, their remains help us piece together the jigsaw puzzle of the past.