Agate Fossil Beds National Monument
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia:
Top
Agate Fossil Beds National Monument
Natural depository of an extinct animal community on the Niobrara River, northwestern Nebraska, U.S. The beds, laid down as sedimentary deposits 20 million years ago, bear the remains of prehistoric mammals. Discovered 1878, the site was named for its proximity to rock formations containing agates. A national monument since 1965, it covers 2,269 acres (918 hectares).
For more information on Agate Fossil Beds National Monument, visit Britannica.com.
Parks Directory of the United States:
Top
Agate Fossil Beds National Monument
US National Monument, Nebraska
301 River Rd
Harrison, NE 69346
www.nps.gov/agfo/
Phone: 308-668-2211; Fax: 308-668-2318
Size: 3,055 acres. History: Authorized on June 5, 1965. Location: On the Niobrara River, 22 miles from Harrison, in northwestern Nebraska. Facilities: Picnic area, rest rooms
)Wikipedia on Answers.com:
Top
Agate Fossil Beds National Monument
| Agate Fossil Beds | |
| National Monument | |
 University and Carnegie Hills
|
|
| Country |  United States |
|---|---|
| State |  Nebraska |
| Region | Sioux County |
| City | Harrison, Nebraska (nearest) |
| River | Valley of the Niobrara River |
| Elevation | 1,340 m (4,396 ft) |
| Coordinates | 42°24′59″N 103°43′42″W / 42.41639°N 103.72833°W |
| Area | 11,617 acres (4,701 ha) [1] |
| Biome | Temperate grassland |
| Geology | Miocene |
| Plant | Shortgrass prairie |
| Animal | Pronghorn, Swift Fox, Prairie Dog |
| Established | June 14, 1997 |
| Management | National Park Service |
| Visitation | 11,617 (2011) [2] |
 Map of Agate Fossil Beds
|
|
| Website: NPS: Agate Fossil Beds | |
Agate Fossil Beds National Monument is a U.S. National Monument near Harrison, Nebraska. The main features of the Monument are a valley of the Niobrara River, and the fossils found on Carnegie Hill and University Hill.
The area largely consists of grass-covered plains. Plants on the site include prairie sandreed, blue grama, little bluestem and needle and thread grass, and the wildflowers lupin, spiderwort, western wallflower and sunflowers.
|
Contents
|
History
The site is best known for the large number of well-preserved Miocene fossils, many of which were found at dig sites on Carnegie and University Hills. Fossils from the site, which date from about 20 million years ago, are among some of the best specimens of Miocene mammals. Species found at Agate include:
- Miohippus, an ancestor of the modern horse,
- Menoceras, a pony-sized rhinoceros,
- Amphicyon, a bear dog,
- Daeodon, the largest Entelodont (giant pig-like ungulate),
- Stenomylus, a gazelle-like camelid, and
- Palaeocastor, land beavers that dug large corkscrew-shaped burrows (Daemonelix)
Originally the Agate Springs Ranch, a working cattle ranch, was owned by Capt. James Cook. The monument's museum collection also contains more than 500 artifacts from the Cook Collection of Plains Indian artifacts.
The national monument was authorized on June 5, 1965, but was not established until June 14, 1997. The Harold J. Cook Homestead (Bone Cabin Complex) was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 24, 1977.[citation needed] Agate Fossil Beds is maintained by the National Park Service.[3]
-
University Hill (left) and Carnegie Hill (right)
-
A windmill that once provided water for excavation teams working on digs at the site
-
The Niobrara River flowing through Agate.
See also
- List of fossil sites
- Ashfall Fossil Beds
- Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument
- John Day Fossil Beds National Monument
- Scotts Bluff National Monument
References
- The National Parks: Index 2001–2003. Washington: U.S. Department of the Interior.
- ^ "Listing of acreage as of December 31, 2011". Land Resource Division, National Park Service. http://www.nature.nps.gov/stats/Acreage/acrebypark11cy.pdf. Retrieved 2012-03-18.
- ^ "Five Year Annual Recreation Visits Report". Public Use Statistic Office, National Park Service. http://www.nature.nps.gov/stats/viewReport.cfm?selectedReport=SystemComparisonReport.cfm. Retrieved 2012-03-18.
- ^ "Agate Fossil Beds National Monument". U.S. National Park Service. Archived from the original on 2 December 2009. http://www.nps.gov/agfo/index.htm. Retrieved 2009-12-16.
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Agate Fossil Beds National Monument |
- Official NPS website: Agate Fossil Beds National Monument
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
Post a question - any question - to the WikiAnswers community:
Copyrights:
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 1994-2012 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more
Parks Directory of the United States
Parks Directory of the United States. Copyright © 2007 by Omnigraphics, Inc. All rights reserved.
Read more
