Fossils have been found in every continent, and in every state in the United States. The United States has an very rich fossil record that tells the story of how ancient animals and plants evolved, lived, and went extinct.

Most fossils are found in sedimentary rocks. The Eastern side of the United States has a build-up of vegetation and soil layers, and because of this, fossils are harder to find. The Western United States is eroded and dry, making fossil discoveries much easier.

California has the most recorded fossils found at 1,473. Wisconsin and Maine have relatively sparse fossil records. The Hawaiian Islands began to form as a result of volcanic activity about 5 million years ago during the Pliocene. Due to their young age and igneous geology, the islands preserve very few fossils.

The Tullimonstrum, or the Tully Monster, is not only found just in the U.S., it is only found in Illinois. Discovered in 1958, the Tully Monster is from the Carboniferous period, making it 307 million years old. Over 1000 specimens of the Tully Monster have been discovered from the Mazon Creek region, only 50 miles outside of Chicago.

Many dinosaur bone fossils have been found in the U.S., mostly in the west.

The Morrison formation layer is one of the most productive strata for dinosaur fossils. It is centered in Wyoming and Colorado, but extends to Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Kansas, as well as in the Dinosaur National Monument, on the border of Utah and Colorado. If you go there, dinosaur fossils are only on display in the Utah portion. But you can wander along the Fossil Discovery Trail, a 1.2-mile path that features exposed layers of rock, several fossils and preserved dinosaur bones.

The Hell Creek Formation is located between Montana through Wyoming and North and South Dakota and it has produced dinosaurs, crocodiles, turtles, fish, amphibians, and mammals. The world's largest collection of Hell Creek fossils is housed and exhibited at the Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman, Montana.

Currently, within the United States, dinosaur fossils have been found in Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, D.C., Washington and Wyoming. Washington is the latest state to have found dinosaur bone, it was recovered in 2012 but was not publicly identified until May 21, 2015. Other states contain rocks of the appropriate type and age to preserve dinosaur fossils, so the list of states with known dinosaur fossils is likely to increase in the future.

There are basically 3 types of fossils-invertebrate fossils-such as shells, corals, and trilobites; plant fossils-such as leaf impressions and petrified wood; and vertebrate fossils-animals with backbones such as dinosaur or mammal bones.

If you want to collect fossils it is important to learn the rules of where you plan to look. Different laws apply to various types of fossils, especially those found on public and federal lands. The National Park Service prohibits all fossil collecting within national parks, but the Bureau of Land Management allows limited fossil collection sometimes with permits on BLM land. States may also have their own regulations. Before collecting on private lands, you need to get permission from the land owner. On private land in the United States, it is legal to collect both invertebrate and vertebrate fossils if the landowner permits it. However, on public lands vertebrate fossils are off-limits.

If you want to see or learn about fossils, the best place to start is at a Museum of Natural History or visit the following National Parks:

Agate Fossil Beds National Monument in Nebraska, here you may see Miocene Epoch mammals like Menoceras.

Badlands National Park in South Dakota: Deer and antelope-like mammals to camels and rhinoceroses.

Carlsbad Caverns National Park in New Mexico, have some of the best-known examples of marine fossils from the Permian period, which occurred at the end of the Paleozoic—there, you can see trilobites, brachiopods (marine animals that look like clams), sponges, bryozoans (microscopic "moss animals" that helped build Permian reefs) and more.

Dinosaur National Monument in Colorado and Utah, where Stegosaurus, Apatosaurus, and Diplodocus bones have been found.

Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument in Colorado, has Petrified Wood and insects from the Eocene Epoch. All told, more than 1,700 species have been found here, including remains of the brontothere, a rhino-like animal, and the first fossilized butterfly found in North America.

Fossil Butte National Monument in Wyoming, has Eocene Epoch reptiles, amphibians, plants, and small mammals.

Glacier National Park in Montana: The Altyn Formation, located on the eastern side of the park, reveals fossilized stromatolites in its layers of limestone and dolomite, some of which are nearly 1.5 billion years old.

Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona, has Precambrian algae fossils embedded in its rocks. You may see stromatolites, trilobites and ancient seashells.

Glen Canyon National Recreation Area in Colorado, see dinosaur tracks located in the area's visitor centers.

Guadalupe Mountains National Park, in Texas, is home to one of the best examples of an ancient marine reef on Earth. 265 million years ago, during the Permian period, the area was part of a vast, ancient sea—today, the remains of what was once a 400-mile-long reef are exposed for all to admire, and replete with fossils, from ancient algae to prehistoric gastropods (the ancestors of today's snails).

Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument in Idaho, is where to see the Hagerman Horses from the Pliocene Epoch.

John Day Fossil Beds National Monument in Oregon, has plants and animals spanning 40 million years. The best way to see all the fossils the John Day Basin has to offer is to check out the Thomas Condon Paleontology Center, which contains 40,000 fossils.

Lilydale Regional Park in Minnesota, is filled with fossils from the Cambrian and Ordovician periods, the first two periods of the Paleozoic era. You need to apply for a permit to collect fossils in the area.

Mojave National Preserve in California, also contains numerous Paleozoic fossils, including corals from the later Paleozoic periods.

Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona: Petrified Wood and Triassic Fossilized reptiles.

Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument in Nevada: Ice Age (Holocene) mammals like mammoths and ground sloths.

And Zion National Park in Utah, to see Dinosaur Tracks!

 

The majority of states across the United States have official state fossil or fossils. Some states have official state dinosaurs, and in some states their official rock, gem or stone is actually a fossil.

Visit our page on state rocks, gemstones, minerals and fossils here:

https://www.barlowsgems.net/state-gemstones-minerals-fossils-and-rocks/