Morrison Formation

The Morrison Formation is a sequence of Upper Jurassic sedimentary rocks across western North America, famous for abundant dinosaur fossils and other vertebrate remains.

Upper Jurassic: The latest epoch of the Jurassic Period, spanning roughly 161 to 145 million years ago. The Morrison Formation was deposited during this interval.
Dinosaur National Monument: A protected area in Utah and Colorado containing a major Jurassic fossil quarry in the Morrison Formation. Its quarry exposes a dense assemblage of Morrison dinosaur bones.
Paleontology: The scientific study of ancient life through fossils and their geological context. Morrison fossils are a major source for studying Late Jurassic life.
Arthur Lakes: A British geologist and teacher whose Colorado fossil discoveries helped launch major dinosaur excavations. His 1870s finds in Morrison rocks brought the region's dinosaur fossils to scientific attention.
Cloverly Formation: A Lower Cretaceous sedimentary formation in the western United States, known for dinosaur fossils. It is younger than the Morrison and records a later phase of regional environments.
Stratigraphy: The study of rock layers, their sequence, and their relationships through time. The formation is defined as a mappable sequence of sedimentary strata.
Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry: A fossil site in Utah's Morrison Formation known for an unusually high proportion of carnivorous dinosaur remains. The quarry is one of the formation's best-known concentrations of dinosaur fossils.
Allosaurus: A large theropod dinosaur common in Late Jurassic fossil deposits of western North America. Its numerous Morrison fossils help establish the formation's predator fauna.
Othniel Charles Marsh: An American paleontologist who led major western fossil expeditions during the late nineteenth century. Marsh's teams collected important dinosaur fossils from the formation.
Dinosaur Park Formation: A Late Cretaceous formation in Alberta, Canada, famous for diverse dinosaur fossils. Its much younger ecosystems contrast with the Morrison's Jurassic fauna.

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