Morrison Formation Geography

A map of the Colorado Plateau as it may have looked 149 million years ago during the Jurassic when the Morrison formation was deposited.

Dr. Ron Blakey, Professor Emeritus Northern Arizona University Geology

 

149 million years ago, when the Morrison Formation was deposited, the area that is now Dinosaur National Monument looked much different. Large rivers dominated the landscape, flowing from highlands in the south towards the north. A savannah type of environment surrounded the river courses, but instead of a grassland, these savannahs featured ferns and conifers. It was in this environment that dinosaurs like apatasaurus, diplodocus, and stegosaurus grazed while avoiding the predatory allosaurus.

 

Artist rendition of how the Morrison Environment may have appeared.