Fossils: A Glimpse of the Past

One of the benefits of living in the desert is that the trees don't get in the way of covering up the rock, so we can see large expanses of it. Some people might say that this is really boring, and yeah, it can be. But in certain areas, the rocks are fascinating, even to a non-geologist like me. I've been trying to learn more about geology, and in that quest have learned which layers of rock are most likely to contain fossils. I find these most fascinating because they give us glimpses of what used to live here.

We have lots of exposures of sedimentary rocks (the type of rock where fossils are found), but because the rocks were laid down at different time periods and under different conditions, the fossils can be very diverse even within the same mountain range. There are also some sedimentary rocks that have no fossils at all, so it's good to have a guidebook or two. I've spent some time looking for fossils in the wrong rock type and that's no fun.

Here are some really cool fossils that look like they're coming right out of the rock. Many of the creatures that lived in the seas hundreds of millions of years ago no longer exist, but some have relatives that we still see today. I still have lots of work to do to be able to identify the fossils. With over 200 different fossils in this valley alone, it's nice to know I won't get bored.

Here are some more fossils that look like they're popping out of the rock. The one in the middle looks like a shell you might find on the beach.

These fossils are in the rock and have such pretty patterns. It's fun to think back to the time when this was all water and not a dry desert!