Unprecedented fossil discovered at Grand Canyon National Park
National Park Service
The National Park Service released this photo of a fossil discovered in Grand Canyon National Park compared to a modern horsetail plant.
The National Park Service says it’s found a new fossil in Grand Canyon National Park.
Officials say the new fossil was unearthed at the 1½-Mile Resthouse while work was being done on the Transcanyon Waterline project. That’s the massive pipeline that moves water from the North Rim to the South Rim. A researcher identified the fossil as Equisetalean strobilus.
It’s nearly 300 million years old and stems from the reproductive organ of a type of extinct horsetail plant. The plant’s fossils are not uncommon in the rock of the Canyon’s Hermit Formation, but researchers say finding a fruiting body where plant spores are contained on the plant is unprecedented.
