The Tertiary in Tennessee, US

Tertiary in Tennessee map
 

Choose a time period:

Quaternary
Tertiary
Cretaceous
Jurassic
Triassic
Permian
Carboniferous
Devonian
Silurian
Ordovician
Cambrian
Precambrian

Tertiary Fossils

No slide show is available for the Tertiary in Tennessee.

Search the fossil gallery

Paleontology and geology

A warm tropical sea periodically flooded western Tennessee during the Tertiary. Fossils of marine organisms can be found in these sediments. The eastern part of the state was above sea level, and the landscape was dominated by large rivers, swamps, and forests. The Gray Fossil Site in far northeastern Tennessee (Washington County) was discovered during road construction in 2000 and appears to represent an ancient sink hole into which many animals fell and were trapped. Fossil remains include rhinoceros, the short-faced bear Plionarctos, a gomphothere (an early elephant), tapir, peccary, a badger, a lesser panda, and alligators.

Links to more on the Tertiary in Tennessee

Education and Exhibits

Education and Exhibits

Virtual Exhibits (showing 1 of 1 listings)

The Gray Fossil Site: Located in the Valley-and-Ridge province in East Tennessee, near the community of Gray, this site includes vertebrate bones, aquatic invertebrates, leaf imprints, organic debris, botanicals, compressed wood, charcoal, and more. This web exhibit offers images and detailed explanations of the site's features.

top Top of List


Arkansas State Map
Missouri State Map
Mississippi State Map
Alabama State Map
Georgia State Map
North Carolina State Map
Virginia State Map
Kentucky State Map

site tour | about the site | site map | site credits | page credits | help | FAQs | contact
© | editorial policy | awards | teachers' guide | site generator | About RSS

paleontology news:   recent site additions: