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The geology and paleontology of Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument, Nevada

Fact Sheet 2018-3038
Prepared in cooperation with the National Park Service
By: , , and 
https://doi.org/10.3133/fs20183038

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Abstract

On December 19, 2014, Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument, located in the Las Vegas Valley of southern Nevada, was established by Congress as the 405th unit of the National Park Service to “conserve, protect, interpret, and enhance for the benefit of present and future generations the unique and nationally important paleontological, scientific, educational, and recreational resources and values of the land” (P.L. 113-291, sec. 3092). Vertebrate fossils have been known from the region for more than a century, and recent work has established the Tule Springs local fauna as one of the most significant Pleistocene vertebrate faunas in the American Southwest. The sedimentary sequence that entombs the fossils represents a paleohydrologic system that responded dynamically to abrupt changes in climate throughout the late Quaternary. Work in Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument continues today through the efforts of scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey, National Park Service, and academic institutions across the country.

Suggested Citation

Springer, K.B., Pigati, J.S., and Scott, E., 2018, The geology and paleontology of Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument, Nevada: U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet 2018–3038, 4 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/fs20183038.

ISSN: 2327-6932 (online)

ISSN: 2327-6916 (print)

Table of Contents

  • A Brief History of Tule Springs
  • A Story of Water
  • Timing is everything…
  • A Story of Life
  • …and context is critical!
  • U.S. Geological Survey Science in the Park
  • References
  • Acknowledgments
  • For More Information
Publication type Report
Publication Subtype USGS Numbered Series
Title The geology and paleontology of Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument, Nevada
Series title Fact Sheet
Series number 2018-3038
DOI 10.3133/fs20183038
Year Published 2018
Language English
Publisher U.S. Geological Survey
Publisher location Reston, VA
Contributing office(s) Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center
Description 4 p.
Country United States
State Nevada
Other Geospatial Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument
Online Only (Y/N) N
Google Analytic Metrics Metrics page
Additional publication details