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Oregon, US

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State Fossil:
State fossil from Oregon

Metasequoia
Metasequoia, a deciduous conifer, flourished in Oregon's forests during the Tertiary. Once thought to be extinct, the "dawn redwood" was discovered in China in the 1940s and can now be found in parks, garden centers, and yards in many places in North America.

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Paleontology and geology

The Precambrian: During the Precambrian, the area now occupied by Oregon was deep ocean, and no rocks from the Precambrian have been preserved anywhere in the state.

The Paleozoic: Throughout much of the early Paleozoic (Cambrian through Silurian) what is now Oregon was covered by the sea, and no rocks from these time intervals have been preserved anywhere in the state. During the middle and late Paleozoic (Devonian through Permian), tectonic activity resulted in a series of volcanic islands in the area that has become Oregon. Limestones containing fossils of corals, brachiopods, and other marine animals provide evidence of the coral reefs and lagoon environments that also formed at this time, and plant fossils indicate the presence of nearby terrestrial environments.

The Mesozoic: Shallow seas persisted over most of state through the Mesozoic. Oysters, corals, and snails were important members of the marine communities during this time interval. Vertebrates are represented by fossil fragments of pterosaurs and marine reptiles such as ichthyosaurs.

The Cenozoic: Fossils of turret and fig shells (snails) indicate that warm-water conditions persisted into the early Cenozoic (Tertiary) over part of Oregon. Conditions became cooler and drier by the middle Tertiary, and marine organisms similar to modern species inhabited the waters off the coast. Forests of oak and alder were common, and mammals such as horses, camels, deer, and cats, as well as extinct gomphotheres (early elephants) and bear-dogs wandered the landscape. The Coast Range and the Cascades began to rise as a result of tectonic activity during the Tertiary. Later in the Cenozoic (Pleistocene), large ice caps covered the mountainous regions of the state. Lowland and coastal regions were covered by a diversity of environments, including forests, savanna, and arid plains. The Cascade volcanoes continued to erupt periodically throughout the late Cenozoic.

Links to more on Oregon paleontology

Organizations | Education and Exhibits

Organizations

Parks (showing 1 of 1 listings)

John Day Fossil Beds National Monument: The official National Park Service site has information on when and how to get to the monument, what to see and do, camping and lodging, as well as maps and books for sale.

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Societies and Clubs (showing 2 of 2 listings)

NARG - North America Research Group: NARG is a group professional and amateur paleontologists that hold regular monthly meetings, field trips, and workshops about the paleontology of the Pacific NW.

Geological Society of Oregon Country: This organization of professional and amateur geologists has regular meetings, field trips, and seminars about the geology and paleontology of Oregon.

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Colleges and Universities (showing 1 of 1 listings)

University of Oregon Department of Geological Sciences: Information on the department, along with links to the geology faculty's home pages. The Condon Museum has paleontological collections.

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Education and Exhibits

Virtual Exhibits (showing 1 of 1 listings)

Paleo Video: Kaitlin Maguire at the John Day Fossil Beds: Watch this video and join University of California Museum of Paleontology graduate student Kaitlin Maguire on a field trip to the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument! After visiting the park in 2009, Kaitlin decided that it was the perfect place to do her dissertation research.

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