Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument

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Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument
IUCN Category III (Natural Monument)
Location	Teller County, Colorado, USA
Nearest city	Florissant, CO
Coordinates	38°55′5″N 105°16′3″W / 38.91806, -105.2675
Area	5,998 acres (24.27 km²)
Established	August 20, 1969
Visitors	62,417 (in 2004)
Governing body	National Park Service

Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument is located in a mountain valley just west of Pikes Peak and holds spectacular remnants of the earth's prehistoric life. Huge petrified redwoods and incredibly detailed fossils of ancient insects and plants reveal a very different landscape in Colorado of long ago. Almost 35 million years ago, enormous volcanic eruptions buried the then-lush valley and petrified the redwood trees that grew there (See Thirtynine Mile volcanic field). A lake formed in the valley and the fine-grained sediments at its bottom became the final resting-place for thousands of insects and plants. These sediments compacted into layers of shale and preserved the delicate details of these organisms as fossils. Many of the insect species found therein were described by the entomologist Theodore Cockerell. The Florissant Fossil Beds were set aside as a part of the National Park System in 1969.

"When the mountains are overthrown and the seas uplifted, the universe at Florissant flings itself against a gnat and preserves it."-- Dr. Arthur C. Peale, Hayden Expedition Geologist, 1873. Florissant means Flowering in French, and Florissant fossil Beds National monument is notable for its beautiful plant life.

[edit] See also

• List of fossil sites (with link directory)

[edit] External links

• National Park Service: Florissant Fossil Beds - public domain source of much of this article
• Friends of the Florissant Fossil Beds, Inc. - nonprofit Friends of the Park group

v • d • e Protected Areas of the State of Colorado Federal National Parks: Black Canyon of the Gunnison • Great Sand Dunes • Mesa Verde • Rocky Mountain National Monuments: Canyons of the Ancients • Colorado • Dinosaur • Florissant Fossil Beds • Hovenweep • Yucca House National Historic Sites: Bent's Old Fort • Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Trails: Old Spanish Trail • Pony Express Trail • Santa Fe Trail National Recreation Areas: Arapaho • Curecanti National Conservation Areas: Gunnison Gorge • McInnis Canyons National Wildlife Refuges: Alamosa • Arapaho • Baca • Browns Park • Monte Vista • Rocky Mountain Arsenal • Two Ponds National Forests: Arapaho • Grand Mesa • Gunnison • Pike • Rio Grande • Roosevelt • Routt • San Isabel • San Juan • Uncompahgre • White River National Grasslands: Comanche • Pawnee National Wilderness: Black Canyon of the Gunnison • Black Ridge Canyons • Buffalo Peaks • Byers Peak • Cache La Poudre • Collegiate Peaks • Comanche Peak • Eagles Nest • Flat Tops • Fossil Ridge • Great Sand Dunes • Greenhorn Mountain • Gunnison Gorge • Holy Cross • Hunter-Fryingpan • Indian Peaks • James Peak • La Garita • Lizard Head • Lost Creek • Maroon Bells-Snowmass • Mesa Verde • Mount Evans • Mount Massive • Mount Sneffels • Mount Zirkel • Neota • Never Summer • Platte River • Powderhorn • Ptarmigan Peak • Raggeds • Rawah • Sangre de Cristo • Sarvis Creek • South San Juan • Spanish Peaks • Uncompahgre • Vasquez Peak • Weminuche • West Elk National Scenic Trail: Continental Divide Trail State State Parks: Arkansas Headwaters • Barr Lake • Bonny Lake • Boyd Lake • Castlewood Canyon • Chatfield • Cherry Creek • Cheyenne Mountain • Crawford • Eldorado Canyon • Eleven Mile • Golden Gate Canyon • Harvey Gap • Highline Lake • Jackson Lake • James M. Robb - Colorado River • John Martin Reservoir • Lake Pueblo • Lathrop • Lone Mesa • Lory • Mancos • Mueller • Navajo • North Sterling • Paonia • Pearl Lake • Ridgway • Rifle Falls • Rifle Gap • Roxborough • San Luis • Spinney Mountain • St. Vrain • Stagecoach • State Forest • Staunton • Steamboat Lake • Sweitzer Lake • Sylvan Lake • Trinidad Lake • Vega • Yampa River State Forest: Colorado State Forest State History: Byers-Evans House • Colorado History Museum • El Pueblo • Fort Garland • Fort Vasquez • Georgetown Loop • Healy House and Dexter Cabin • Pearce-McAllister Cottage • Pike Stockade • Trinidad • Ute Indian Museum Other National Historic Landmarks: Beaver Meadows • Burlington Carousel • Black Hawk • Central City • Colorado Chautauqua • Cripple Creek • Durango-Silverton Railroad • Georgetown • Granada • Leadville • Lindenmeier Site • Lowry Ruin • Mesa Verde • Pikes Peak • Pike's Stockade • Raton Pass • Shenandoah-Dives Mill • Silver Plume • Silverton • Telluride • U.S. Air Force Academy Cadet Area National and Regional Trails: American Discovery Trail • Colorado Trail • Continental Divide Trail • Great Divide Trail • Kokopelli's Trail • Paradox Trail • Tabeguache Trail Scenic and Historic Byways: Alpine Loop • Cache la Poudre-North Park • Colorado River Headwaters • Dinosaur Diamond • Flat Tops • Frontier Pathways • Gold Belt • Grand Mesa • Guanella Pass • Highway of Legends • Lariat Loop • Los Caminos Antiguos • Mount Evans • Pawnee Pioneer • Peak to Peak • San Juan Skyway • Santa Fe Trail • Silver Thread • South Platte River Trail • Top of the Rockies • Trail of the Ancients • Trail Ridge • Unaweep/Tabeguache • West Elk Loop Colorado Department of Natural Resources (web)