Kansas

Kansas is a state in the central United States, known for extensive Cretaceous marine fossil deposits formed when an inland sea covered much of the region.

Western Interior Seaway: A Cretaceous inland sea that divided North America and left marine deposits across the continent. Its waters covered much of Kansas and created the state's rich marine fossil record.
Cretaceous: The geologic period from about 145 to 66 million years ago, ending with a mass extinction. Kansas's marine fossil deposits formed during this period.
Great Plains: A broad grassland region extending across central North America from the Rocky Mountains toward the Mississippi River. Kansas occupies part of this vast continental interior region.
Paleontology: The scientific study of ancient life through fossils and their geological context. Kansas fossil sites have made the state a major setting for studying Cretaceous marine life.
Niobrara Formation: A Late Cretaceous rock formation in the Great Plains containing abundant marine fossils. Its chalk cliffs and fossil-rich layers are among Kansas's best-known geological features.
Marine transgression: The advance of the sea over land as sea level rises or land subsides. Cretaceous transgressions allowed seawater to spread across the region that became Kansas.
Central United States: The central portion of the United States, an informal region without universally fixed boundaries. Kansas lies within this broad geographic region.
Sternberg Museum of Natural History: A natural history museum in Hays, Kansas, with extensive fossil collections and exhibits. Its collections interpret fossils recovered from Kansas and the surrounding region.
Smoky Hill Chalk: A chalk member of the Niobrara Formation in western Kansas, famous for exceptionally preserved marine fossils. This Kansas deposit yields iconic Cretaceous fish, reptiles, and other marine fossils.
Sedimentary rock: Rock formed when mineral or organic particles accumulate, compact, and cement together. Kansas's fossil-bearing chalk and shale formed from sediments deposited in ancient seas.

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