Fossil Lake
Posted by: 
Volcanoguy
N 43° 19.979 W 120° 28.774
10T E 704327 N 4800878
History sign about the geology of Fossil Lake. The sign is located end of the road, at the boundary of the closed area.
Waymark Code: WMBFK0
Location: Oregon, United States
Date Posted: 05/15/2011
Views: 4
Marker Name: Fossil Lake
Marker Text: Fossil Lake has been important for scientific study since 1877 when fossils were first collected here. Paleontologists have identified 23 species of mammals, 74 species of birds, 6 species of fish, and 6 species of mullusk from their fossils. These fossils are from 10,000 to 2,000,000 years old (Pleistocene Era). Camels, ground sloths, mammoths, flamingos, pelicans, swans, salmon, and snails.
This area was the bottom of ancient Fort Rock Lake, a vast lake 200 feet deep. When the climate became more arid, the lake dried up. Animals that swam in the lake and walked its shores remain today as the fossils which give the area its name.
To protect these fragile remans the Bureau of Land Management has closed 6,540 acres to all vehicles. Please comply with the closure and help protect this irreplaceable legacy. You are welcome to explore on foot, but the Antiquities Act of 1906 prohibits the collection of fossils to preserve scientific values. The sand dunes east of the closed area remain open to vehicles.
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