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John Day Fossil Beds National Monument
John Day Fossil Beds National Monument is a magnificent park situated near Kimberly, Oregon. It is situated within the John Day River Basin.
This Monument is world-famous for its well-conserved, remarkably comprehensive record of animals and fossil plants. The monument can be largely divided in three units. First, Painted Hills that are famous for the carefully colored stratifications Second, Sheep Rock in the northwest of Clarno and Dayville, located 20 miles away from the west of Fossil. Third, Blue Basin, which is a volcanic ash bowl, turned to clay stone.
One can follow trails and watch the fossils at the visitor center where scientists continue their research on fossils.
Vestiges of the soils, watering holes, rivers, ponds, floodplains, middens, track ways, mudslides, ash falls, prairies, and forests can be seen here, and the most important part of it is that they exist in an unbroken sequence. Well, that makes it one of the best unbroken geological records.
The rich rocks are the evidences of how early habitats and the dynamic processes influenced a change here.
Even today, the study and exploration of the John Day fossil Beds is continued. Several widely scattered fossils are lying in a lot of beds and therefore, it is very hard to predict their occurrence.
Many fossils do not last as they get deteriorated very quickly.
So, paleontologists continuously work hard to canvas them.
The National Monument status is now authorized since October 26, 1974 while it was established in 1975.
- Mailing Address:
32651 Highway 19, Kimberly, OR 97848
- Telephone: (541) 987-2333
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