Fossils in Parks

Introduction

Fossils (paleontological resources) have been found in 286 units of the National Park System. These fossils are incredibly diverse and reveal a great deal of information about the past life of North America, including both flora (plants) and fauna (animals).

Fossils in parks include bones from massive dinosaurs like Alamosaurus, the largest dinosaur known from North America. Alamosaurus bones have been found in Big Bend National Park in Texas. Adults of this species could reach 100 feet (30 m) in length and weigh over 50 tons 45 metric tons). National park fossils also include tiny pollen grains and other microfossils and everything in between.

Fossils that have been found in parks have been grouped into five major categories depending on their taxonomy as well as the ways that the fossils have been preserved in the geologic record.

Fossil Lifeform Types—Designations Used

• Plant Fossils: Plant fossils most often consist of petrified wood, leaves, flowers, seeds, pollen, and spores. Plant fossils have been documented in at least 189 parks.

• Invertebrate Fossils: Invertebrate Fossils: Invertebrate fossils include marine, freshwater and terrestrial organisms, including insects. Because of their hard parts and exoskeletons, marine organisms like brachiopods, crinoids, and mollusks are particularly well represented in the fossil record. Invertebrate fossils have been documented in at least 232 parks.

• Vertebrate Fossils: Vertebrate fossils include fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals,. Bones and teeth are the most common type of vertebrate fossils, but sometimes soft tissues are preserved. Vertebrate fossils have been found in at least 164 parks.

• Ichnofossils (Trace Fossils): Trace fossils include tracks and footprints of vertebrates and invertebrates, fossil dung (coprolites), and any other evidence of past biological activity that does not include the physical remains of an organism. Ichnofossils have been found in 165 parks.

• Other Fossils: Other body fossils are all those from organisms that are outside the plant, vertebrate, and invertebrate categories, and largely consists of microscopic organisms referred to as microfossils. Microfossils have been documented in at least 160 parks.

Explore Fossils in Parks

The table below shows which of five major categories of fossils have been documented in units of the National Park System.

List of fossil parks and the types of they have.

Park Name & Designation	Alpha Code	Region	Network	Plant Fossils	Invertebrate Fossils	Vertebrate Fossils	Ichnofossils (Trace Fossils)	Other Fossils

Notes for table above:

• Reworked—fossils that have been transported and abraded after initial deposition and fossilization.

• Cultural Association—fossils used by humans in the past and now curated in a museum.

• Museum—fossils in a park museum.

• Building Stone—fossils in used in buildings and other structures.

• Partial Record—some questions remain about locality or identity.

Region & Network Abbreviations Used

 Old NPS Regions

• AKR: Alaska Region

• IMR: Intermountain Region

• MWR: Midwest Region

• NCR: National Capitol Region

• NER: Northeast Region

• PWR: Pacific West Region

• SER: Southeast Region

Inventory & Monitoring Networks

• APHN: Appalachian Inventory & Monitoring Network

• ARCN: Arctic Inventory & Monitoring Network

• CAKN: Central Alaska Inventory & Monitoring Network

• CHDN: Chihuahuan Desert Inventory & Monitoring Network

• CUPN: Cumberland Piedmont Inventory & Monitoring Network

• ERMN: Eastern Rivers and Mountains Inventory & Monitoring Network

• GLKN: Great Lakes Inventory & Monitoring Network

• GRYN: Greater Yellowstone Inventory & Monitoring Network

• GULN: Gulf Coast Inventory & Monitoring Network

• HTLN: Heartland Inventory & Monitoring Network

• KLMN: Klamath Inventory & Monitoring Network

• MEDN: Mediterranean Coast Inventory & Monitoring Network

• MIDN: Mid-Atlantic Inventory & Monitoring Network

• MOJN: Mojave Desert Inventory & Monitoring Network

• NCRN: National Capital Region Inventory & Monitoring Network

• NCCN: North Coast and Cascades Inventory & Monitoring Network

• NCBN: Northeast Coastal and Barrier Inventory & Monitoring Network

• NETN: Northeast Temperate Inventory & Monitoring Network

• NCPN: Northern Colorado Plateau Inventory & Monitoring Network

• NGPN: Northern Great Plains Inventory & Monitoring Network

• PACN: Pacific Island Inventory & Monitoring Network

• ROMN: Rocky Mountain Inventory & Monitoring Network

• SFAN: San Francisco Bay Area Inventory & Monitoring Network

• SIEN: Sierra Nevada Inventory & Monitoring Network

• SODN: Sonoran Desert Inventory & Monitoring Network

• SFCN: South Florida/Caribbean Inventory & Monitoring Network

• SEAN: Southeast Alaska Inventory & Monitoring Network

• SECN: Southeast Coast Inventory & Monitoring Network

• SCPN: Southern Colorado Plateau Inventory & Monitoring Network

• SOPN: Southern Plains Inventory & Monitoring Network

• SWAN: Southwest Alaska Inventory & Monitoring Network

• UCBN: Upper Columbia Basin Inventory & Monitoring Network