Lake Powell fossil ranks among most important found in U.S. this year, Park Service says
A bonebed of extremely rare fossils was found along a stretch of Lake Powell earlier this year.
National Park Service officials are calling it one of the most important fossil discoveries in the United States this year.
The mammal-like tritylodontid bones and teeth are from the Early Jurassic period, approximately 180 million years ago, and the first-ever found in Navajo Sandstone in Utah.
It’s rare to find fossils in Navajo Sandstone near the Glen Canyon Group geological formations. Paleontologists say the discovery will shed light on the fossil history exposed on the Lake Powell shoreline.
Glen Canyon field teams made the discovery in March before the annual snowmelt.
The crew collected several hundred pounds of fossil bones and skeletons which will be scanned at the University of Utah.
The discovery will be featured during a National Fossil Day event Wednesday in Zion National Park.
