Dying to Become a Fossil

Dying to Become a Fossil (HM24VU)

Location: Wall, SD 57790 Jackson County
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Country: United States of America
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N 43° 46.336', W 102° 0.246'

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Inscription
Oredonts were common throughout the Badlands, but became extinct. Their fossil remains provide evidence of their lives and habitat. Fossils can develop over time when animal or plant remains are quickly covered in sediment and replaced by minerals.

Ancient Life


There are a number of different ways animals and plants can become fossils. Remains can have all , some, or none of the original materials replaced by minerals. Some fossils are impressions, casts, or molds of the remains. The basic steps are illustrated here for the oredont fossil.

Death and Decay

When this animal died, its remains were quickly buried in mud, sand, or soil. Soft elements decayed quickly while hard bone or teeth remained.

Burial

Over time, more and more sediment covered the remains. Teeth, bones, and other parts less likely to break-up or decay were encased in the sediment.

Change

Eventually, the skeletal material dissolved and was replaced by minerals. This process resulted in a copy of the oredont preserved within the rock.

Discovery

Fossils surviving the ravages of time, particularly erosion, may be discovered by paleontologists or visitors. Hard parts, like teeth, and those parts replaced by minerals stand a better chance of discovery.



Sometimes, as with this oredont, fossils provide the only evidence of a new extinct animal.

Oreodont

Leptauchenia



Oreodont fossils are common in Badlands National Park, but it is rare to find a nearly complete specimen like this one. Oreodonts, now extinct, resembled sheep or pigs, but are unrelated.
Details
HM NumberHM24VU
Tags
Placed ByBadlands National Park, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Monday, January 22nd, 2018 at 1:01pm PST -08:00
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Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)13T E 741115 N 4850942
Decimal Degrees43.77226667, -102.00410000
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 43° 46.336', W 102° 0.246'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds43° 46' 20.16" N, 102° 0' 14.76" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)605
Closest Postal AddressAt or near SD-240, Wall SD 57790, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

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