Research on the Colorado Plateau

Collecting fossil resources on the Colorado Plateau

National Parks

Current research involves assessing the Neogene fossil resources for the following park units:

1. Grand Canyon National Park, NPS (includes working on the Bison history of the park)
2. Vermilion Cliffs National Monument, BLM
3. Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument, BLM

These resources are curated in The Laboratory of Quaternary Paleontology. The lab also curates over 17,000 vertebrate and invertebrate fossil specimens for the following parks on and off the Colorado Plateau: Arches, Black Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Capital Reef, Canyonlands, Channel Islands, Colorado, Dinosaur, Grand Canyon, Glen Canyon, Hovenweep, Mesa Verde, Natural Bridges, Oregon Caves, Pipe Springs, Sequoia, Wind Cave, and Zion.

Student Projects

1. Department of Geology graduate student Vicky Black is identifying the faunal assemblage and its taphonomy of Herring Park Cave in South Park, Colorado (more).

2. H. David Dyer. Irvingtonian mollusks from Porcupine Cave, Colorado.