Agate Fossil Beds
Agate Fossil Beds National Monument
Nebraska
Produced by the
Division of Publications
Harpers Ferry Center
National Park Service
U.S. Department of the Interior
Washington, D.C.
The National Park Handbook Series
National Park Handbooks, compact introductionsto the great natural and historic places administeredby the National Park Service, are designedto promote understanding and enjoyment of theparks. Each is intended to be informative readingand a useful guide before, during, and after a parkvisit. More than 100 titles are in print. This isHandbook 107. You may purchase the handbooksthrough the mail by writing to Superintendent ofDocuments, U.S. Government Printing Office,Washington DC 20402.
About This Book
What was life like in North America 20 millionyears ago? Agate Fossil Beds provides a glimpseof that time, long before the arrival of man, whennow-extinct creatures roamed the land which weknow today as Nebraska. Part 1 of this handbookintroduces you to the park; Part 2 brings life tothe fossil specimens and examines the area’s geologicaland ecological evidence; and Part 3 presentsconcise guide and reference information.
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
- United States. National Park Service.
- Agate Fossil Beds National Monument, Nebraska.
- (National park handbook; 107) Bibliography: p.
- Includes index.
- Supt. of Docs. no. I29.9/5:107
- 1. Vertebrates, Fossil.
- 2. Paleontology—Miocene.
- 3. Paleontology—Nebraska—Agate Fossil Beds National Monument.
- 4. Natural history—Nebraska—Agate Fossil Beds National Monument.
- 5. Agate Fossil Beds National Monument, Neb.
- I. Title.
- II. Series: United States. National Park Service. Handbook—National Park Service; 107.
- QE841.U59 1980 566′.09782′99 80-607119
Contents
- Part 1 Welcome to Agate Fossil Beds 4
- Worlds of Past and Present 7
- Part 2 A Landscape Rich With Life 18
- Text: James R. and Laurie J. Macdonald
- Illustrations: Jay H. Matternes
- A Visit to the Past 23
- The Mark of Death Upon the Land 35
- The Geologic History of Agate 47
- Ecology: Change and Adaptation 53
- Part 3 Guide and Adviser 74
- Contents for this section 77
1 Welcome to Agate Fossil Beds
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