Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument Photo Gallery by Ruth Moorhead at pbase.com

Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument

We were pleasantly surprised by this gem tucked away in the hills west of Colorado Springs, Colorado.
We had no idea there had been redwood trees in what is now Colorado; they are visible now because a volcanic flow engulfed their bases,
which eventually petrified. Time passed and another flow dammed a stream, creating a lake that may have helped erase their tops
but also collected many thousands of fish, insects, and plants in layer after layer of ash and mud,
eventually also fossilizing those records of life in a very different environment than what we see now. Some of the petrified stumps
were uncovered by erosion; in other cases, people dug the mudstone away from them.

These photos came from only the most basic of the 15 miles of trails in the park; we hope to return to collect more photos.
Two to three centuries of avid fossil collecting by settlers and travelers after European invasion of this continent
took away most of the visible small fossils at the ground surface, but a useful number remain in the Park's collection and display area,
thanks in part to one or more local homesteaders.

Root Sprouts
Randy Included for Scale
		The Big Stump, Re-revealed
Life Takes Hold	Petrified Redwood
Safekeeping	Advertising the Redwood Stumps

comment

click on thumbnails for full image

Type your message and click Add Comment

It is best to login or register first but you may post as a guest. Enter an optional name and contact email address. Name
Name Email
help	private comment

Type your message and click Add Comment

It is best to login or register first but you may post as a guest. Enter an optional name and contact email address. Name
Name Email
help	private comment