Florissant fossil bed national monument was formed in 1969 when the fossils bed of Florissant was included in the national park system. It does feel that no body has looked back ever since this place was included in the national park system. More than 35 million years ago there was a volcanic eruption in this region. All the insects and the plants were killed. Those which fell in the lake were covered by the ash and turned into the fossils which we see today in this region.

Today Florissant fossil beds national monument safeguards this site. The fossils were internationally renowned and are supposed to give complete information of life at that time particularly of fossils and plant since they were discovered in 1800s.paleantologists have collected 60000 specimens for museums. These fossils reveal what life of that time was like. A massive petrified red wood stump clearly reveals that that time has its giants too.

Yet little remains of ancient Florissant lake life. Fossil bones, teeth, shells and feather reveals the existence of the mollusks, fish, birds, opossum, mesohippus (an ancestor of modern horse) and oreodonts ( an ancient pig like animals). But unless the mammal or bird died near the lake its chance of preservation were very slim.

Fossils of incredibly diverse mix of more than 100 species and other plants were discovered at Florissant. Most commonly fossil leaves are found but fossil twigs, seeds, cones, flowers and pollen grains also occur. Like insects the plant fragments have also been preserved as life size and color enhanced impressions. Quiet different types of plant fossils found at Florissant consists of petrified stumps of red woods and other trees. They stand today at the same place where they were buried more than millions of years ago. The stumps turned into stones since the minerals seeped into the wood and crystallized the living tissues.

The fossil records suggest that the forest of that time was completely different from today and you will definitely not find any kind of such plants today. However the herbs and shrubs too grew under the redwoods and their closest living relatives can be found in widely scattered places like south eastern USA, Mexico china and South America.

Insects are rarely preserved as they are so fragile. But the volcanic ash mixture that fell on the lake was finer than the talcum powder and it did a tremendous job in preserving the fossils of insects. More that 1400 species of the insects have been found here. Most of them are the same as we found today. However, some of them are extinct and no more in North America. Flies like tsetse fly are no more in the world and have been completely extinct.

I do feel that you will definitely find a lot to cheer if you are an archeologist.

Tags: fossils of ancient lake florissant, paleontology, plant fossils