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The Ordovician in Washington, US

Ordovician in Washington map

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Ordovician Fossils

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Paleontology and geology

Exposures of Ordovician slates occur in the northeastern-most corner of Washington. These rocks are metamorphosed shales formed from muds that were deposited in a deep ocean off the west coast of North America. The presence of these deep-water deposits tells us that sea levels rose during this time, and the shoreline migrated eastward into what is now Montana. Graptolites and conodonts are abundant in these rocks; trilobites can also be found, but they are rare.


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