RonnieAdventure #0236 - Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument, Clark County, Nevada

On December 19, 2014 , the 22,650 acre Tule Springs Fossil Beds, located in the north part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area, became a National Monument under the jurisdiction of the U.S. National Park Service. The Monument was formed to "protect and interpret the nationally important paleontological, scientific, educational and recreational resources in the park" and it is "the first area of the National Park Service specifically dedicated to the preservation, public education and scientific study of Ice Age fossils...[and] fills an important gap in the fossil record represented by the National Parks."

The Park is scientifically significant because it contains the longest continuous section of Pleistocene strata in Southwest United States and the largest assemblage of Ice Age fossils from 7,000 to 200,000 years ago. Looking at the barren landscape today, it is hard to imagine that this area was once a wetland with lush vegetation.

In 1962, the National Geographic Society conducted a four-month intensive study of the Tule Springs Fossil Beds and cataloged a large number of fossils from the area. The significance of the area was re-confirmed with excavation work performed by various universities in later years. 

Because there was no appropriate on-site storage space for fossils excavated from the area, the San Bernardino County Museum in California was selected as the official repository for the site and now holds thousands of fossils that have been excavated over the years.  

When a friend called and invited me on a ranger-led trip around parts of the Park, how could I resist.

The entrance to the basin is through a small slot that has been cut through the strata. The slot is about five tall and two feet wide. (For those that do not like to go through tight spaces, you can always just climb over the top of the mound.)

The Pleistocene strata mounds found within the Park are the remains of what has not eroded away. 

We were told that when pioneers first came to the Las Vegas area, it was easy to find bones, teeth, and tusks just laying on the ground throughout the area, but over the years all of the exposed items were collected by non-professional paleontologists. There are now very few exposed items, but the Ranger explained that after a rain storm, sometimes parts of bones, teeth, and tusks can be seen protruding from the strata.

In one area we walked through, the ground  was completely covered with Cicada mud tubes.

We also walked by a large labyrinth of unknown origin.

We were asked not to photograph any fossils that we saw, but while no one was looking I did take a picture of a large dinosaur egg.

The Tule Springs Fossil Beds also contain a number of endangered plant species, including the Bear Poppy (Arctomecon californica) and other desert plants.

Bear Poppy (Photographer Unknown)

Desert Broom

Future plans for the area include a visitor center and improved pathways at various locations in the park. Once the visitor center has been completed, the fossils currently stored at the San Bernardino County Museum repository will be returned to the site. 

Fossils that have been found during the various excavations include Columbian Mammoths, Camelops, American Lions, massive sloths, Dire Wolfs, Saber Tooth Cats, Bison, Ice Age Horses, and many others. No evidence of human activity has ever been found at the site.