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10 Places You May Catch Paleontologists Digging Up Fossils

And even if you don't, you'll gaze on fossilized dinosaurs, rhinos and other reptiles in their natural context—instead of in a museum set piece

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1. Ashfall Fossil Beds
thumb: 1. Ashfall Fossil Beds

1. Ashfall Fossil Beds

Ashfall Fossil Beds State Historical Park: near Royal, Neb.
http://ashfall.unl.edu/ ; (402) 893-2000

Roughly 260 skeletons, representing 17 species, have been identified at this northeastern Nebraska site, first discovered in the early 1970s....[More]

2. Berlin-Ichthyosaur
thumb: 2. Berlin-Ichthyosaur

2. Berlin-Ichthyosaur

Berlin-Ichthyosaur State Park: near Austin, Nev.
http://parks.nv.gov/bi.htm ; (775) 964-2440

This remote site, 160 miles (255 kilometers) southeast of Reno, is believed to have been part of a coastline during the late Triassic period....[More]

3. Dinosaur Quarry
thumb: 3. Dinosaur Quarry

3. Dinosaur Quarry

Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry: near Price, Utah
http://www.blm.gov/ut/st/en/fo/price/recreation/quarry.html ; (435) 636-3600

Portions of 79 dinosaurs have been identified at this ancient bone bed, located 150 miles (240 kilometers) southeast of Salt Lake City....[More]

4. Dinosaur National Monument
thumb: 4. Dinosaur National Monument

4. Dinosaur National Monument

Dinosaur National Monument: near Jensen, Utah
http://www.nps.gov/dino /; (435) 781-7700

Photo: Attached at SciAmPhotosDinosaurNational
Photo Credit: National Park Service

The most dramatic presentation of fossils at Dinosaur National Monument was closed to public view in mid 2006, after shifting earth damaged the visitor center....[More]

5. Dinosaur State Park
thumb: 5. Dinosaur State Park

5. Dinosaur State Park

Dinosaur State Park: Rocky Hill, Conn.
http://www.dinosaurstatepark.org/ ; (860) 529-8423

This lattice work of dinosaur tracks was discovered in the mid 1960s by serendipity....[More]

6. Florissant Fossil Beds
thumb: 6. Florissant Fossil Beds

6. Florissant Fossil Beds

Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument: Florissant, Colo.:
www.nps.gov/flfo ; (719) 748-3253

Nearly 35 million years ago, this region 35 miles (55 kilometers) west of Colorado Springs, was buried in 15 to 20 feet (4.5 to six meters) of volcanic mud, petrifying the redwood trees growing there....[More]

7. Mammoth Site
thumb: 7. Mammoth Site

7. Mammoth Site

The Mammoth Site: Hot Springs, S.D.
http://www.mammothsite.com/ ; (605) 745-6017

Since 1974 nearly 60 mammoths--most of them Columbian mammoths--have been identified in this site, along with 47 other species of animals....[More]

8. Mygatt-Moore
thumb: 8. Mygatt-Moore

8. Mygatt-Moore

Mygatt-Moore Quarry: near Fruita, Colo.
www.dinosaurjourney.org ; (970) 858-7282

This quarry was first discovered in 1981, when the Mygatt and Moore families were taking a hike and, resting on a break, realized they were sitting on a dinosaur bone....[More]

9. Petrified Forest
thumb: 9. Petrified Forest

9. Petrified Forest

Petrified Forest National Park: near Holbrook, Ariz.
http://www.nps.gov/pefo/ ; (928) 524-6228

This stretch of petrified forest, which runs along Interstate 40 in Arizona, was first discovered in the 1850s during a military expedition....[More]

10. Dinosaur Center
thumb: 10. Dinosaur Center

10. Dinosaur Center

Wyoming Dinosaur Center: Thermopolis, Wyoming
http://www.wyodino.org/ ; (800) 455-3466

Since excavation began in the early 1990s, about 60 dinosaur fossil sites have been identified....[More]

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  1. 1. cofu 01:05 PM 11/26/08

    # the Dynamic model of the globe has proved break Ms (a firm cork of the Earth ) and as  consequences a divergence of continents, in system weights Ms/magma/a nucleus of a planet-with parameters of axial rotation process of divergence of continents was transient ,after that have proceeded (10) cycles of III natural phenomenon ;DM has proved that present position
    Ms in the period bronze was short term sites of the schedule of type (b-b1-f),and a level of Ocean continuously changed from max to min marks; thus break Ms known under name Grand Canyon was formed during a divergence of continents or, that is less probable during (10) cycles
    of III natural phenomenon
    # on a question when there was break Ms, the DM allows to receive following answer: during process type (a1-a) at the area of an ice dome about 100 million in km2 for 20 thousand years the level of Ocean went down on 300 meters (as science underwater archaeology for given
    time cannot precisely define min a mark of Ocean in point (a) ,that having accepted average size
    of process (a1-a) ~35-40 thousand years we receive the answer: divergence Ms has taken place
    ~ 350-400 thousand years ), after that have proceeded (10) processes of type (a1-a) and (b-b1)
    consequences of these processes in territory of Europe and America very much differed
    # having taken into account above the listed feature which has proved DM it is possible to try to establish objectively when there was break Ms named Grand Canyon , thus it is necessary to take into account specificity of processes of type (a1-a) and (b-b1) which followed during the bronze period; the general for fiords Norway and Grand Canyon water polishing of granite fragments
    during (10) cycles of III natural phenomenon

    Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this
  2. 2. dltjddnr116 10:35 PM 12/11/08

    IT"S COOL!!

    Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this
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