More about where to look for fossils. The slanting strata of these sedimentary rocks shows that these rocks have been uplifted. Geologic forces of uplifting and erosion can reveal long-buried fossils. Major events of uplifting occur when two plates of land on the earth's surface crash into each other. Many mountains are formed through uplifting.
Erosion happens when water or wind wears away bits of rock.
The Grand Canyon is a huge example of erosion. The Colorado River and dusty winds carved through the many layers of sedimentary rock, the different layers telling fossilized stories of life on Earth. The deepest layers tell the oldest stories, because they were deposited first. Explore mountains, bluffs, buttes, canyons, river banks, deserts, cliffs or eroded hillsides. The Bureau of Land Management oversees public lands where access and fossil hunting is allowed.