Landscapes in Stone -- Tornillo Flat, Big Bend NP TX
N 29° 25.090 W 103° 08.214
13R E 680747 N 3255760
The amazing desert scenery along the main park road through Tornillo Flat holds a surprising secret: This area was once a swamp!
Waymark Code: WMTZZP
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 01/30/2017
Views: 3
One of the most amazing aspects of Big Bend National park is the amount of change that this landscape has seen and been shaped by.
This sign at the Tornillo Flat overlook off the Main Park Road (to Persimmon Gap) tells of a time long ago, when this area was VERY different:
"LANDSCAPES IN STONE
[graphic across top]
UPPER CRETACEOUS PERIOD
-About 70 milion years ago. These formations contain remains of the ast dinosaurs in Big Bend
PALEOCENE EPOCH
-About 60 million years ago. Mammals have become the dominant animal.
UPPER CRETACEOUS PERIOD
-About 70 million years ago. Numerous duck-billed dinosaurs fed on waterplants in a river floodplain.
[text]
The desert appears permanent, but the rocks exposed in Tornillo Flat contain evidence of a dynamic Big Bend. From tide flats to forests to grasslands, this vista has changed dramatically during the past 70 million years.
Decipher the rock strata: these shales and flagstones are compressed streambeds and swamp sediments from a bayou landscape.
Outcrops visible from this overlook contain 20 million years of fossil evidence, from the Age of Dinosaurs to the Age of Mammoth."
Waymark is confirmed to be publicly accessible: yes
Parking Coordinates: N 29° 25.144 W 103° 08.253
Access fee (In local currency): 25.00
Requires a high clearance vehicle to visit.: no
Requires 4x4 vehicle to visit.: no
Public Transport available: no
Website reference: [Web Link]
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Visit Instructions:
No specific requirements, just have fun visiting the waymark.