The Quaternary in Southwest region, Mexico

Paleontology and geology

Volcanic activity continued into the Quaternary in the Southwestern Region and some volcanoes are still active today. In some areas, the lava flows blocked the movement of water to the sea, and lakes formed in low-lying areas. Hillsides in the north have deposits from these lakes and exhibit wave-cut terraces. Gorges and canyons in this area were formed as rivers eventually cut their way through the lava and ash flows. The land was covered in grasslands, chaparral, and forests of pine, oak, alder, and other plants. These habitats were home to animals from North and South America, including many different birds, freshwater fishes, mammoths, camels, horses, bison, rabbits, ground sloths, glyptodonts, and giant armadillos. Along the western coast and on the newly forming islands in the west, marine deposits formed during times of higher sea level, and some of these deposits contain fossils. As the climate cooled, glaciers formed, advanced, and retreated several times from the highest mountains, leaving the sediments they scraped up as moraines.

Links to more on the Quaternary in Southwest region

Organizations | Research and Collections

Museums (showing 1 of 1 listings)

Museo de Paleontología de Guadalajara: This museum features Pleistocene mammals from western Mexico.

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Ongoing Research Projects (showing 1 of 1 listings)

Wade E. Miller PaleoProfile: Miller is Professor of Geology and Paleontology at BYU, and does field research in central Mexico.

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Researchers (showing 1 of 1 listings)

Laboratory for Environmental Biology, Centennial Museum: Home page for the LEB at University of Texas at El Paso, with information on collections and research.

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