GEOLOGY, SCENERY and NATURAL HISTORY of
WYOMING and COLORADO
A STUDY TOUR
JULY 5th to JULY 25th, 2009
led
by John
Nudds and Paul Selden
VIEW
PHOTOS OF THE TRIP HERE
THE STUDY TOUR will go through some of
the most scenic and historic parts of the western USA, starting and
finishing in Denver, Colorado. We first visit the little town of
Morrison on the outskirts of Denver, where interstate 70 cuts
through Dinosaur Ridge. Here, a visitor center and trail leads
visitors gently past dinosaur remains and footprints and which has
given its name to the Morrison Formation, famous for Jurassic
giants such as Apatosaurus, Diplodocus and Stegosaurus. Nearby is the spectacular Red Rocks
park, where an open-air concert arena has been built into the
steeply dipping Pennsylvanian sandstones where they sit
unconformably on the Precambrian of the Rocky Mountains; there is a
wonderful view across Denver and the Great Plains from here. We
drive north from here into Wyoming where the Cretaceous Hell Creek
Formation is as famous as the Morrison but younger in age.
Tyrannosaurus
and Triceratops
were first discovered here,
and we shall see Stan: the best-preserved T. rex in the world.
A short detour into Nebraska takes us to the Agate Fossil Beds
which are famous for their Tertiary mammals. Then we continue north
into South Dakota to Hot Springs in the Black Hills. Here we hope
to visit Wind Cave, Jewel Cave, and Mount Rushmore, where the heads
of a number of US presidents have been carved into the granite.
Nearby is the famous Mammoth Site where dozens of mammoth skeletons
have been preserved in an Ice Age sinkhole. We shall visit Lead to
see the giant Homestake opencast gold mine, and Deadwood, renowned
in song for its stagecoach and final resting place of Wild Bill
Hicock and Calamity Jane. Heading back into Wyoming again, we stop
at the spectacular Devil’s Tower and then continue on to
Gillette. Here, in the Powder River Basin (whose water is too thick
to drink and too thin to plough) are opencast coal mines in
Paleocene rocks with seams up to 100 feet thick! The greatest
danger to the miners is spontaneous combustion!
We travel over the Bighorn Mountains and arrive at the little spa
town of Thermopolis, with its inviting warm bathing pools, where we
tour a dinosaur dig in the Morrison Formation, see the most
recently discovered specimen of Archaeopteryx
(a long way from
Solnhofen!) and visit a bison herd. From here it is just a short
journey, via Cody (one of Buffalo Bill’s haunts) to
Yellowstone National Park, where we shall spend three nights (two
full days) to explore the geysers, Yellowstone Canyon with its
wonderful waterfall, and see wild bison, elk, moose and other fauna
and flora. Yellowstone is followed by a day in Grand Teton National
Park – surely the most scenically attractive mountain range
anywhere in the world!
Heading south from here we arrive at Kemmerer, a little town
surrounded by Eocene Green River sediments packed with fossil fish,
insects and plants. We can visit quarries as well as Fossil Butte
National Monument. South of Kemmerer we drive through the stunning
Flaming Gorge and into Utah. Just over the border into Colorado is
Dinosaur National Monument where Morrison Formation remains have
been preserved in their natural state. Now in Colorado again, we
visit the impressively scenic Colorado National Monument. After a
night at Montrose we head for the Black Canyon of the Gunnison
– an awe-inspiring chasm where the eponymous river cuts
through Precambrian schists and granites. After Salida, there is
yet another magnificent gorge to be seen, this time while gliding
through on part of the former Santa Fe railroad enjoying a gourmet
meal.
Near Cripple Creek, an old mining settlement, now restored as a
casino town, is Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument – a
fossil lake formed from Mt St Helens-type volcanic mudflows during
the Eocene. We shall take the cog railway up over 14,000 feet to
the top of Pikes Peak. This dramatic viewpoint was the inspiration
for the song America the Beautiful. From here it is a short drive
back to Denver where we shall have time to visit the Natural
History Museum or do some shopping in the pleasant, pedestrianized
city centre before returning home.
Between them, the leaders have extensive knowledge of geology,
fossils, and natural history of the Western States. No previous
knowledge of these subjects is assumed.
The fee of £3350/$3995 includes transport by luxury coach, starting
from and returning to Denver, quality accommodation in twin-bedded
rooms, some breakfasts, scheduled entrance fees, and the Royal
Gorge and Pikes Peak railroad trips. The sterling fee also includes
return flights from Manchester Airport to Denver and has the
protection of the fully bonded travel agency. Insurance, other
meals, gratuities and any optional entrance fees or excursions are
not included. Single rooms are available for a supplement of
£685/$1200. Places are limited on this study tour so you are
advised not to delay in making a deposit to secure yours!
Dr
Paul Selden Gulf-Hedberg Distinguished Professor of
Invertebrate Paleontology and Director of the Paleontological
Institute, University of Kansas
Dr
John Nudds Senior
Lecturer in Palaeontology, The University of Manchester, UK
The leaders are co-authors of two books on famous fossil sites (see
below).
