Paleontology: Government Resources

About Dinosaurs, Fossils, Extinctions, etc.

CO, UT

The National Park System contains a magnificent record of geologic time because rocks from each period of the geologic time scale are preserved in park landscapes. No single park has rocks from every geologic period, though some come close.

Fossils are evidence of ancient life. They are irreplaceable pieces of America's geologic heritage and tell the stories of America long before the United States existed. Fossils are found in the rocks, museum collections, and cultural contexts of more than 280 National Park Service areas and span every period of geologic time from billion-year-old stromatolites to Ice Age mammals that lived a few thousand years ago.

Plant macrofossils are preserved remains that are large enough to be visible without a microscope. They include leaf, needle, cone, and stem debris, and can be used to identify plants that previously grew in the area. Plant macrofossil data provide a valuable complement to pollen and faunal data that can be used to reconstruct the terrestrial environment.

Paleontology is not featured on their page but you can search for "fossils" and obtain a wealth of information.

Various topics on Alabama paleontology

Fossils & Dinosaurs

Information on Vertebrate, Invertebrate, and Pseudofossils.

Fossils - Insects, Dinosaurs, Vertabrates, Plants, and Trace.

A 200-million-year-old fossil trackway, nature trails, arboretum, and interactive exhibits bring the Mesozoic era to life. Explore a paleontological museum and enjoy the outdoors...all in one trip in a park like no other. The Park features over 750 early Jurassic dinosaur footprints — one of the largest dinosaur track sites in North America — preserved in place inside the museum, alongside exhibits about dinosaurs, fossils, and Connecticut geology.

The State Fossil: https://coloradogeologicalsurvey.org/geology/colorado/fossils/

The most common fossils found in Delaware are from the Cretaceous period, and range from 65 to 100 million years in age. Some fossil collecting localities have also been found in central and southern Delaware, with the fossils generally being younger further south in the state. Fossils found in Kent County are commonly 12 to 20 million years old, and those in Sussex County mostly date from less than less than 1 million years.

Fossils & Artifacts

Fossils

Fossils of Kentucky

Maine fossils

Dinosaur Fossils in Maryland.

Fossils are the traces or remains of organisms buried and preserved in sediments. They consist not only of hard body parts, such as bone and shell, but also may be impressions of plants, or tracks, trails, and burrows.

fossil encyclopedia (in progress)

The word “fossil,” comes from the Latin word “fossilis,” which means “dug up.” Fossils often are found in limestone and they represent a variety of extinct marine invertebrate animal life forms, including brachiopods, bryozoans, clams, corals, crinoids, nautiloids and snails.

Fish Fossils, Invertabrate, Crinoids Referenece

The North Dakota Geological Survey Fossil Resource Management Program was inaugurated in 1983 primarily in response to concern about the historic and ongoing removal of fossils from North Dakota.
The program has three primary objectives: To promote public understanding and awareness of the importance of North Dakota's fossil resources through a variety of educational activities including fossil exhibits, tours, and presentations; To identify and preserve North Dakota's significant fossil sites and specimens; and To conduct research to determine the types of climates and environments in which those organisms lived.

The state abounds with Paleozoic Era fossils, both marine and terrestrial, and scattered Pleistocene (Ice Age) deposits have yielded a variety of plant and animal fossils, including skeletons of large extinct mammals such as mastodons, mammoths, giant ground sloths, and giant beavers.

State Fossil of South Dakota: Triceratops

Gray Fossil Site in Tennessee near the community of Gray TN.

Where Dinosaurs Roamed!
Long ago, dinosaurs left footprints in the mud at the edge of an ancient ocean. Today, you can walk in their tracks in the bed of the Paluxy River.

Utah contains one of the most complete fossil records on Earth. The preserved fossils from the Mesozoic and Cenozoic include an amazing variety of plants and animals: from insects, freshwater clams, mammals, and dinosaurs in the terrestrial rocks, to mollusks, fish, and marine reptiles in the marine rocks.

Fossils of Virginia

Museum of Geology & Natural History: Dinosaurs

Fossils of Wisconsin

Wyoming's Fossil Record
Geologic formations in Wyoming bear a wide range of fossils, representing life forms from nearly every geologic time period. Some of the oldest fossils on Earth are found here. From single-celled organisms to wooly mammoths; from bacterial algae to palm fronds, Wyoming hosts a diverse array of terrestrial and marine plant and animal fossils. Browse the geologic eras in the tabs below for more detail on Wyoming's fossil record.