The Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument is considered to be one of the most abundant and diversified fossil sources in the world. The fossils contained in Florissant have been studied and catalogued for over 130 years. Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument and the practices applied there have revolutionized paleontology for the rest of the world, helping to give people a better understanding of paleoclimate (climate from a former geologic period), paleoecology (ancient plants and animals and their environment), paleobiogeography (the study of the geographic distribution of fossil organisms), evolution, and taphonomy (the conditions and procedures of fossilization).
Over 1700 species have been described from Florissant, including the remains of various plants, insects, fish, and some animals. Some of the more interesting fossils recovered was the remains of a Brontothere, which is a rhinoceros
-type animal from the dinosaur period; a Mesohippus, which is an ancient horse ancestor; and Oreodonts, which were pig-like animals that are now completely extinct.
-type animal from the dinosaur period; a Mesohippus, which is an ancient horse ancestor; and Oreodonts, which were pig-like animals that are now completely extinct.Mesohippus, https://www.dmr.nd.gov/ndfossil/poster/brule/brulep5.asp
The history of Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument ties in, of course, with the history of the rest of the sites we have talked about. Towards the end of the Precambrian period (the Proterozoic period), between 500 and 600 million years ago, the Pikes Peak Granite Formation was formed. Probably 36 million years ago or slightly before then, the Florissant Formation was deposited into an upland paleovalley (an ancient valley) in the Pikes Peak Granite and the upper part of the Eocene Wall Mountain Tuff, which is dated to be 36.7 million years old.
Approximately 35 million years ago, the area was a large lake, about 15 miles long. The climate was warm, and humid, and the environment was plush, with a plentiful suppl
y of ferns, and a large mixture of trees, including the very large Redwood trees. The plant and animal life is very abundant. There is also a large supply of insects to feed off of the swamp-like ecosystem.
There are active volcanoes, and for around 700,000 years, the volcanoes erupt violently. The eruptions cover the surrounding mountainside in ash, pumice, tuff, and dust. Animals, marine life, and insects get caught in the volcanic gasses and particles and dying, fall into the lake to be buried at the bottom. As time goes on, layers upon layers of fossils begin to accrue, and the lake begins to diminish. The lake dries up and becomes layers of shale. The trees burn up and get petrified. The entire ecosystem changes.
y of ferns, and a large mixture of trees, including the very large Redwood trees. The plant and animal life is very abundant. There is also a large supply of insects to feed off of the swamp-like ecosystem.There are active volcanoes, and for around 700,000 years, the volcanoes erupt violently. The eruptions cover the surrounding mountainside in ash, pumice, tuff, and dust. Animals, marine life, and insects get caught in the volcanic gasses and particles and dying, fall into the lake to be buried at the bottom. As time goes on, layers upon layers of fossils begin to accrue, and the lake begins to diminish. The lake dries up and becomes layers of shale. The trees burn up and get petrified. The entire ecosystem changes.
The Florissant Formation is composed of several different types of rock. This is mostly a result of the volcanic eruptions
overlying the lake habitat. The formation is layered, with its fossil-rich layers consisting of tuffaceous mudstone and siltstone, shale, arkosic and volcaniclastic sandstone and conglomerate, and tuff. The way the layers are deposited and the types of deposition lead scientists to believe that there was two occurrences of lacustrine events (pertaining to lakes, absence of vegetation and trees), two occurrences of fluvial deposition (pertaining to or produced by a river) and one occurrence of lahar deposition (deposit left by a volcanic landslide). The fossils of the Messohippus and Brontothere are from the fluvial deposition parts of the Formation.
overlying the lake habitat. The formation is layered, with its fossil-rich layers consisting of tuffaceous mudstone and siltstone, shale, arkosic and volcaniclastic sandstone and conglomerate, and tuff. The way the layers are deposited and the types of deposition lead scientists to believe that there was two occurrences of lacustrine events (pertaining to lakes, absence of vegetation and trees), two occurrences of fluvial deposition (pertaining to or produced by a river) and one occurrence of lahar deposition (deposit left by a volcanic landslide). The fossils of the Messohippus and Brontothere are from the fluvial deposition parts of the Formation.
Florissant Fossil Beds, http://biology.usgs.gov/npsveg/flfo/images/flfoplots.pdfThere is still a plentiful supply of fossils at Florissant Fossil Beds National Monumen
t, and much is still waiting to be explored and discovered. You can walk through the park to see the hills of shale and tuff, the petrified redwood and other trees, abundant plant life, and inside the information center they have many fossils displayed for people to see. You can take guided tours throughout the park to learn about its history and the various fossils. It is both a unique and a wonderful place to explore.
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