The Morrison Formation is one of the most significant fossil-rich geological features in North America. Some of the United States' most iconic dinosaurs have been discovered in this Morrison Formation by well-known fossil-hunters Othniel C. Marsh and Edward Drinker Cope.
Fascinating Facts about the Morrison Formation
Geology and Age
The Morrison Formation dates from the Late Jurassic, or about 157 and 150 million years ago. Dinosaur bones and other fossils are found in the ancient river channels, lakes and floodplains of the Morrison Formation.
Where is the Morrison Formation Found?
The Morrison Formation stretches across a vast swath of the western US. It was named after the town of Morrison, Colorado where some of the first fossils in the formation were found by a man named Arthur Lakes in the 1870's. The Morrison Formation isn't only limited to Colorado, however. The Formation was also deposited in New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Wyoming, South Dakota, Montana, Oklahoma, and Kansas.
It’s possible to visit the Morrison Formation throughout many of the parks in the US National Park Service. Among the most accessible and well-known are:
The Bone Wars
Unbeknownst to Arthur Lakes, his fossil discovery would kick off the "Great Dinosaur Rush" and "Bone Wars" in the United States. When Lakes found some large bones embedded in rock while hiking with a friend, he contacted Othniel C. Marsh to alert him to his find. He sent some bones to Marsh, and also sent specimens to Edward Drinker Cope.
Marsh and Cope were two of the 19th century's most successful fossil hunters. Between the two of them, they discovered more than a hundred dinosaurs —including Stegosaurus, Triceratops, and Lystrosaurus. With the prolific dinosaur bones in and around Morrison Colorado and into Wyoming, they also discovered a lifelong brutal rivalry, each vying for success and fame. The two scientists lost sight of the science and focused instead on sabotaging each other's progress. They hurled accusations of spying and fossil theft at each other and even destroyed fossils to prevent them from falling into the others' hands.
You can dig dinosaurs, mammals, sea creatures and plants by joining the Triceratops Gulch Project in Glenrock, Wyoming.
Dinosaurs galore
Fossils of nearly 50 different species of dinosaurs have been discovered in the Morrison Formation.
Among the large predatory dinosaurs found in the Morrison Formation is the Allosaurus. Allosaurus hunted large herbivores, using its sharp teeth and claws to take down prey. It was the dominant carnivore of the period.
Fossils of other meat-eating dinosaurs include Coelurus, Ornitholestes and the horn-nosed Ceratosaurus.
Large, long-necked, plant-eating sauropods have also been found in the Morrison Formation. These include the big Camarasaurus (50 feet long), bigger Apatosaurus, (70 feet long) and biggest Diplodocus (almost 85 feet long) sauropods that dominated the landscape.
Smaller herbivores such as the iconic Stegosaurus with its bony armor of upright plates have also been found.
Mammals and more in the Morrison Formation
Of course, dinosaurs weren’t the only animals living in the area of the Morrison Formation. Paleontologists have found the fossils of small rodent-like mammals and reptilian flyers called pterorsaurs here as well. In addition, animals such as small terrestrial crocodilians, frogs, salamanders and turtles are proof that this area was an ancient floodplains and waterway.
Plants and trees of the Morrison Formation
Fossilized plant species found in the Morrison ecosystem indicate that this area was home to lush forest and shrub land. The Morrison ecosystem was home to gigantic conifer trees, thought to be as tall as today’s biggest redwoods. Low lying plants found here include fossilized ferns, cycads and horsetails. Ginkgos were also in abundance, having first appeared in the middle Jurassic. They are sometimes called "living fossils" becasue they remain relatively unchanged for some 200 million years.
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