home   Printer friendly version Add to site
Advanced search
Time & Space Fossil Gallery Famous Flora & Fauna
Careers Resources K-12 Collections PaleoPeople

Connecticut, US

 map

 interstates

Choose a time period:

Quaternary
Tertiary
Cretaceous
Jurassic
Triassic
Permian
Carboniferous
Devonian
Silurian
Ordovician
Cambrian
Precambrian
Dates (mya)
Time Scale Legend

State Fossil:
State fossil from Connecticut

Eubrontes giganteus
These dinosaur tracks, possibly left by the bipedal predator, Dilophosaurus, were formed on mudflats during the early Jurassic (~ 200 million years ago). Hundreds of footprints can be seen at Dinosaur State Park in Rocky Hill, Connecticut, found during a construction project in 1966.

Search the fossil gallery

Paleontology and geology

The Precambrian: Precambrian metamorphic rocks cover much of Connecticut. No fossils are found in these rocks.

The Paleozoic: No Cambrian rocks are found in Connecticut, and all later Paleozoic rocks in the state are igneous and metamorphic. No fossils have been identified from these rocks.

The Mesozoic: Exposures of Triassic and Jurassic sedimentary rocks can be seen in the Connecticut River Valley in the central part of the state. These rocks were originally deposited as sediments in alluvial fans, braided streams, and lakes that filled rift valleys. The rifting occurred as the supercontinent of Pangea began to pull apart. Trace fossils of invertebrates, and fossils of both plants and dinosaurs are found within these sediments. Dinosaur footprints also occur in some of these rocks. No Cretaceous rocks are known from Connecticut.

The Cenozoic: No Early Cenozoic (Tertiary) rocks are known from Connecticut, however, Quaternary sediments were deposited as vast ice sheets advanced over the state. Fossils from this time period are found along the coast of Connecticut’s Long Island Sound and in the northwestern part of the state and include marine invertebrates, such as clams, snails, and crustaceans. Many of these fossils are from animals very similar to those of today.

Links to more on Connecticut paleontology

Organizations | Resources

Organizations

Parks (showing 1 of 1 listings)

Dinosaur State Park: Visitors' information for Dinosaur State Park in Rocky Hill.

top Top of List

Museums (showing 1 of 1 listings)

Peabody Museum of Natural History: Located at Yale University, the Peabody is one of the oldest paleontology museums in the US

top Top of List

Colleges and Universities (showing 1 of 1 listings)

Department of Geology: Paleontology courses at Yale

top Top of List

Resources

Field Guides (showing 1 of 1 listings)

Dinosaur Footprints and Trackways From the Northeastern U.S.: This webpage details footprints from the Triassic and Jurassic periods of the northeastern United States. Information includes photographs of footprints, along with information on stratigraphic horizon and correlation, age, and taxonomy.

top Top of List

Curriculum and Classroom Resources (showing 1 of 1 listings)

Teacher-Friendly Guides to Geology: Provides teachers with an intuitive and jargon-free review of the geology of different regions of the United States. 

top Top of List


New York State Map
Massachusetts State Map
Rhode Island State Map