Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument
- Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument
-
fossil-rich mountain valley in central
Colorado, U.S. It is located in the
Rocky Mountains west of
Pikes Peak and
Colorado Springs. The monument preserves the fossil beds of the
Florissant Formation, which consist of light gray shales dating from the
Oligocene Epoch (33.7 to 23.8 million years ago). These deposits are particularly rich in fossil plants, including the petrified stumps of redwoods, and fossil insects. Created in 1969, the monument covers an area of 9 square miles (23 square km).
About 35 million years ago the area was a forested valley dominated by a large lake; volcanic eruptions buried the valley, petrified trees, and created layers of sediment in the lake bottom that preserved the plants and animals buried there. The site was discovered in 1873 and took the name of a nearby town (named by an early settler for his Missouri hometown; the French word for “flowering,” because of its abundant wildflowers). Tens of thousands of fossils have been collected at the site, and some are displayed at the visitor centre. The land is covered by forest (
ponderosa pine,
fir,
spruce, and
aspen) and meadow that support deer, pronghorn, elk, coyotes, black bears, mountain lions, and bird life. Area history is preserved in the Hornbek Homestead (1878).
* * *
Universalium.
2010.
Look at other dictionaries:
Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument — Fossilien von Mammutbäumen … Deutsch Wikipedia
Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument — Infobox protected area name = Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument iucn category =III nrhp type = hd | caption = locator x = 98 locator y = 84 location = Teller County, Colorado, USA nearest city = Florissant, CO lat degrees = 38 lat minutes … Wikipedia
Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument — Sp Flòrisanto Fosilijų nacionãlinis pamiñklas Ap Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument L JAV (Koloradas) … Pasaulio vietovardžiai. Internetinė duomenų bazė
Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument — Monument national des Florissant Fossil Beds Catégorie UICN III (monument naturel) Identifiant 1043 Pays … Wikipédia en Français
Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument — Monument national du Site Fossilifère de Hagerman Vue sur la rivière Snake Catégorie UICN V (paysage terrestre/marin protégé) Identifiant … Wikipédia en Français
Agate Fossil Beds National Monument — Monument national des sites fossilifères d Agate Vue aérienne du parc Catégorie UICN V (paysage terrestre/marin protégé) Identifiant … Wikipédia en Français
Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument — geographical name reservation central Colorado … New Collegiate Dictionary
John Day Fossil Beds National Monument — Monument national des sites fossilifères de la John Day Catégorie UICN III (monument naturel) Identifiant 1037 Pays … Wikipédia en Français
Florissant Fossil Beds — National Monument Fossilien von Mammutbäumen … Deutsch Wikipedia
National Monument — Der Devils Tower war das erste Nationalmonument National Monument heißen in den Vereinigten Staaten durch die Bundesregierung ausgewiesene Schutzgebiete oder Gedenkstätten, die überwiegend vom National Park Service, einer dem Innenministerium… … Deutsch Wikipedia
