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The Cretaceous in California, US

Cretaceous in California map

undifferentiated rock units help

Geologic map of CA from California Geological Survey (625 KB PDF)

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Quaternary
Tertiary
Cretaceous
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Cretaceous Fossils
Fossil photos from Cretaceous in California

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Paleontology and geology

Subduction of the Farallon Plate continued beneath the western margin of the North American Plate. The ancestral Sierra Nevada rose and was eroded, and the Coast Ranges began to rise. The eroded sediments from the ancestral Sierra Nevada (sand, gravel, and volcanic material) were deposited east of the rising Coast Ranges. These sediments became the rock layers of the Central Valley (i.e., the Great Valley Sequence) and record the position of the Cretaceous shoreline in California. Exposed throughout the Central Valley, the marine rocks have yielded abundant fossil remains of ammonites, marine reptiles, bivalves, and even plants.

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Organizations | Education and Exhibits | Research and Collections | Resources

Organizations

Museums (showing 1 of 1 listings)

The Cooper Channel: From the Dr. John D. Cooper Center Archaeological and Paleontological Center, comes the Cooper Channel. A channel dedicated to producing educational shows for all ages that focus on Orange County paleontology and archaeology.

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Government Agencies (showing 1 of 1 listings)

Dr. John D. Cooper Archaeological and Paleontological Center: The Dr. John D. Cooper Archaeological and Paleontological Center is dedicated to preserving the natural and cultural history of Orange County, California. The Cooper Center, a partnership between O.C. Parks and California State University Fullerton, is committed to the preservation, curation, and management of the fossils and artifacts collected within the County.

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Education and Exhibits

Virtual Exhibits (showing 1 of 1 listings)

"Joe" the Dinosaur: Meet "Joe", the nearly complete skeleton of a baby Parasaurolophus that lived in Utah over 75 million years ago. The dinosaur, discovered by a high school student, was around 6 feet long and under a year old when it died.

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Research and Collections

Ongoing Research Projects (showing 1 of 1 listings)

Research at the Raymond M. Alf Museum of Paleontology: A description of the holdings and current research underway at the museum.

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Resources

Courses and Lectures (showing 1 of 1 listings)

Paleogeography of the Southwestern U.S.: The paleogeography of the southwestern U.S. from 1.8 billion years ago to 10 million years ago. Text and images by Dr. Ron Blakey from Northern Arizona University.

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