Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument
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| Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument | |
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IUCN Category III (Natural Monument)
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| Location | Teller County, Colorado, USA |
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| Nearest city | Florissant, CO |
| Coordinates | 38°55′5″N 105°16′3″W / 38.91806°N 105.2675°WCoordinates: 38°55′5″N 105°16′3″W / 38.91806°N 105.2675°W |
| Area | 5,998 acres (24.27 km²) |
| Established | August 20, 1969 |
| Visitors | 62,417 (in 2004) |
| Governing body | National Park Service |
Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument is a national monument noted for its fossils in Teller County, Colorado, United States. It is located in a mountain valley just west of Pikes Peak and holds spectacular remnants of prehistoric life.
The fossils are contained in the Florissant Formation of Eocene age. Huge petrified redwoods and very detailed fossils of ancient insects and plants reveal a very different landscape in Colorado of long ago. Almost 35 million years ago, enormous volcanic eruptions buried the then-lush valley and petrified the redwood trees that grew there (See Thirtynine Mile volcanic field). A lake formed in the valley and the fine-grained sediments at its bottom became the final resting-place for thousands of insects and plants. These sediments compacted into layers of shale and preserved the delicate details of these organisms as fossils. Many of the insect species found therein were described by the entomologist Theodore Cockerell. The Florissant Fossil Beds were set aside as a part of the National Park System in 1969.
"When the mountains are overthrown and the seas uplifted, the universe at Florissant flings itself against a gnat and preserves it."-- Dr. Arthur C. Peale, Hayden Expedition geologist, 1873.
Florissant means "flowering" in French, and the Florissant Fossil Beds are notable for thir beautiful fossilized plant life.
The visitor center features exhibits about the park's geology and fossils, as well as a video about the site.
[edit] See also
- List of fossil sites (with link directory)
- Agate Fossil Beds National Monument
- John Day Fossil Beds National Monument
[edit] External links and references
This article incorporates public domain material from the National Park Service document "Florissant Fossil Beds".- More Park Service information on Florissant Fossil Beds
- Friends of the Florissant Fossil Beds, Inc. - nonprofit Friends of the Park group
- Information on park sites and trails
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