Ashfall Fossil Beds EarthCache

Ashfall

About 12 million years ago, a volcano in southwest Idaho spread a blanket of ash over a very large area. One or two feet of this powdered glass covered the flat savannah-like grasslands of northeastern Nebraska.

Most of the animals which lived here survived the actual ashfall, but as they continued to graze on the ash covered grasses, their lungs began to fill up with the abrasive powder. Soon their lungs became severely damaged and they began to die.

The smaller animals died first (smaller lung capacities) and finally, after perhaps three to five weeks, the last of the rhinos perished.  Their bodies were quickly covered by the blowing and drifting ash.

Undisturbed except by an occasional scavenging meat-eater, the skeletons of these animals are preserved in their death positions, complete with evidence of their last meals in their mouths and stomachs and their last steps preserved in the sandstone below.

Ashfall wildlife and the impending cloud of volcanic ash. The Ashfall skeletons are found in an ancient waterhole.  Fossil evidence at the site reveals complete, articulated skeletons of large mammals, birds, and turtles, as well as seeds of grasses and trees.

About your visit

Your first stop should be the interpretive displays and the fossil preparation laboratory. You are invited to ask the paleontologists about their work.

Educational programs are presented on a regular basis. From the Visitor Center, it is but a short stroll to the Rhino Barn, where new discoveries continue to be unearthed.

Ashfall is situated on 360 acres of rugged rangeland in the scenic Verdigre Creek valley.

Nature trails were developed to help interpret the geology as well as the flora and fauna of the area.

Picnicking is permitted on the park, and campers can use nearby Grove Lake Wildlife Management Area near Royal.

Collecting fossils or other specimens on the park grounds is strictly prohibited. (If every visitor took a "souvenir," one of Nebraska's natural historic treasures would be gone forever.)

Preservation of Ashfall now and for future generations is made possible by the generosity of the Nebraska Game and Parks Foundation, which purchased the land in 1986, and the Burlington Northern Foundation, which supplied a grant for construction of facilities.
 

What you need to answer

1.  Name the species of rhino that is found at the sight?

2.  How many species of camels are found at the sight?

3.  Provide a photo of you and your group at the rhino barn. Please send me your answers thru the contact page. Failure to do so will cause your log to disappear!