Paleontology and geologyKentucky was an upland area dissected by streams and rivers during the Cretaceous. The only sedimentary record is in the far western Jackson Purchase area, where nearshore marine gravels and sands were deposited by rivers flowing from the north and east. A few clay deposits contain various fossil plant leaves. Dinosaurs almost certainly roamed Kentucky, but as Cretaceous sediments are so uncommon, their fossils have yet to be found in the state. In neighboring Tennessee, deposits similar to those found in the Jackson Purchase have produced fragmentary dinosaur fossils that represent individuals that were transported by streams into nearshore marine environments. |