The environmental processes such as climate change, fire regime, weather, and geological processes that shaped the Colorado Plateau are recorded in rock formations, which are the storytellers of the region’s history. Canyons carved out by the Colorado River and its tributaries expose rock layers deposited on top of each other over time; the youngest rocks at the top and the oldest at the bottom. These rock layers reveal fossils and traces of past life forms, principally from the Mesozoic Era, 248 to 65 million years ago. Fossils preserved in the rocks of Glen Canyon NRA are evidence of the life and changes that occurred during the Mesozoic Era and add to our understanding of biodiversity and evolutionary history. Natural erosion, flash floods which accelerate erosion, illegal collection, and vandalism threaten the paleontological resources of this region.
[{"rock_types": "n/a", "era_formed": ["Mesozoic", "Mesozoic Era"]}]
[{"rock_types": "n/a", "era_formed": "Mesozoic"}] [{"rock_types": "n/a", "era_formed": "Mesozoic Era"}]