The Cretaceous in Utah, US

Cretaceous in Utah map
 

Generalized geologic map from the Utah Geological Survey.

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

Cretaceous Fossils

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Paleontology and geology

Early Cretaceous rocks in Utah were formed in terrestrial environments, and recently dinosaur and mammal fossils have been found in significant numbers. During the Middle Cretaceous, shallow marine seas again inundated Utah, leaving behind sands and thick accumulations of muds. These marine deposits contain the fossils of large clams, fish, marine reptiles such as plesiosaurs, and the occasional dinosaur carcass that was washed out to sea. This was to be the final invasion of marine waters onto North America. Late Cretaceous rocks formed in a wide range of terrestrial environments. The fossil record from this time includes lizards, mammals, eggs, and dinosaurs, including Tyrannosaurus rex.

Links to more on the Cretaceous in Utah

Education and Exhibits | Research and Collections | Resources

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)

Killer Dinosaur Turned Vegetarian: Discovery of a new species of dinosaur from Utah, Falcarius utahensis, provided clues about how vicious meat-eaters evolved into plant-eating vegetarians. This site features photographs and information on the dinosaur.

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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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Field Guides (showing 1 of 1 listings)

Fossil Cephalopods in Utah: A reference to help provide information on the identity, biostratigraphy and location of fossil cephalopods found in the state of Utah.

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General Reference (showing 3 of 4 listings)

Latest Links for Cretaceous in Utah: Utah’s Newly Recognized Dinosaur Record from the Early Cretaceous Cedar Mountain Formation. From the Utah Geological Survey.

Utah in the Age of Dinosaurs (aka “The Mesozoic Era”): Utah has perhaps the best Mesozoic rock record in the world. This web site from the Utah Geological Survey offers information on Utah dinosaurs during the Mesozoic Period.

Early Cretaceous Dinosaurs of Utah: This web site, from the Utah Geological Survey, offers detailed information on the dinosaurs of the Early Cretaceous, Cedar Mountain Formation.

More General Reference

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