The fossils at Chaco represent ten to fifteen million years of life on Earth, during the Late Cretaceous when New Mexico sat on the ever-changing coastline of an inland sea. This ocean, known as the Western Interior Seaway, was home to sharks and giant reptilian predators like mosasaurs and plesiosaurs, as well as ammonites, relatives of today’s squids. NPS scientists used imaging techniques to create virtual 3D models of a few of the park’s paleontological treasures.
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Chaco Culture National Historical Park
Article 1: Late Cretaceous Ammonite
Interactive 3D Model Collected from Chaco Culture National Historical Park, New Mexico. Read more
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Chaco Culture National Historical Park
Article 2: Mosasaur Jaw
Interactive 3D Model Collected from Chaco Culture National Historical Park, New Mexico. Read more
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Chaco Culture National Historical Park
Article 3: Plesiosaur Bone Fossil
Interactive 3D Model Collected from Chaco Culture National Historical Park, New Mexico. Read more
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Chaco Culture National Historical Park
Article 4: Shark and Vertebrate Fossils
Interactive 3D Model Collected from Chaco Culture National Historical Park, New Mexico. Read more
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Chaco Culture National Historical Park
Article 5: Petrified Tree stump
Interactive 3D Model Collected from Chaco Culture National Historical Park, New Mexico. Read more
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Chaco Culture National Historical Park
Article 6: Inoceramus shells
Interactive 3D Model Collected from Chaco Culture National Historical Park, New Mexico. Read more
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Chaco Culture National Historical Park
Article 7: Ripples and Bivalves
Interactive 3D Model Collected from Chaco Culture National Historical Park, New Mexico. Read more
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Chaco Culture National Historical Park
Article 8: Ancient Ripple Marks
Interactive 3D Model Collected from Chaco Culture National Historical Park, New Mexico. Read more