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Click on the map to learn about dinosaur fossil sites in North America.
Rocks at this site from the late Cretaceous period contain some of the
richest deposits of dinosaur fossils. Paleontologists have unearthed whole
skeletons and even fossilized skin impressions. The first fossils were
discovered in the 1880s and new finds continue to be made today.
The world's first Tyrannosaurus rex fossils were found at Hell
Creek in 1903. Many other dinosaurs have been found in these late Cretaceous
rocks, including Albertosaurus, Triceratops, and Edmontosaurus.
Fossil hunters have also found fossil remains of small animals and plants
that lived alongside the dinosaurs.
Unlike the dry western part of the United States, where large areas of
sedimentary rocky are constantly being eroded, rock in eastern regions is
covered by layers of vegetation and concrete. This makes finding dinosaur
skeletons difficult. Fossilized footprints, however, are more commonly found in
this area. In 1802, a 12-year-old farm boy named Pliny Moody uncovered the
first dinosaur footprints found in North America.
Dinosaur National Monument is located within the Morrison Formation, an
exposure of sedimentary rock that is most famous for late Jurassic dinosaur
fossils. In 1979, a 13-year old girl named India Wood found an Allosaurus
fragilis. She donated her find to the Denver Museum of Natural History to
make it available for everyone to view and study.
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