Dinosaurs of the Hell Creek Formation

The Treasure Trove of Fossils in North America

Dinosaurs may be extinct from the face of the planet, but they are alive and well in our imaginations.

- Steve Miller

A bit about the fantastic creatures we know and love that have captured the imagination of millions......Dinosaurs

Dinosaurs have caught the attention of millions in our world, whether it be a small child visiting a museum for the first time, a movie goer watching the fabled Jurassic Park movies, or the professional paleontologists whose job it is to uncover, excavate, and study these amazing creatures. They are extinct creatures that have caught the public's eye unlike any other creatures on our planet. But what exactly are dinosaurs?

Dinosaurs were a group of reptiles that made their mark in history during the Mesozoic Era, which is a unit of geologic time in our earth's history often referred to as the "age of dinosaurs". "The Mesozoic Era spans from 252 million years ago to 66 million years ago." (Geologyin). The Mesozoic Era is divided into 3 separate periods, going from oldest to youngest is the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous. "Dinosaurs evolved into a very diverse group of animals with a vast array of physical features, including modern birds" (American Museum of Natural History). During this time, some non-avian dinosaurs evolved into avian dinosaurs, the oldest ancestors of present-day birds. Dinosaurs became the dominant species on the planet until an asteroid hit the area of the present-day Gulf of Mexico, wiping out relatively all non-avian dinosaurs with aid from volcanic eruptions. What species were dominant before the dinosaur's extinction? Where can we find the closest point in time before the extinction event to learn more about these dinosaurs? The answer lies within the Hell Creek Formation in North America.

To this Day, the Hell Creek Formation produces numerous fossils of dinosaurs from the Late Cretaceous Period, where we find some of the closest living dinosaurs to our time. Through the study of these fossils and the Hell Creek Formations lithology, Paleontologists are able to reconstruct what life may have been like back in the day 66-67 million years ago. Back in a time when Dinosaurs ruled the earth, diverse species of these majestic creatures walked the lands we now live upon. By looking into the past and into the geologic time of the Hell Creek formation, Paleontologists aim to uncover the secrets and environment of the prehistoric world that was ruled by dinosaurs.