By: Julian Koolen

About Dinosaur Ridge Dinosaur Ridge is a museum in Morrison, Colorado where tourists can view footprints of dinosaurs and learn about the area It is run by a non-profit organization called Friends of Dinosaur Ridge Visitors can learn also about how Dinosaur Ridge was formed Welcome to Dinosaur Ridge. Web. 04 Dec

Dakota Hogback Dinosaur Ridge is part of the Dakota Hogback which runs along the mountain front in most of Colorado. The hogback is very noticeable in this area. A hogback is when a bunch of layered rocks of diverse hardness have been tilted and compressed. The softer layers erode much faster creating slopes and valleys The backbone of Dinosaur Ridge is the sandstone “ Signs Found at Dinosaur Ridge alongside the Road Explaining in Detail What the Viewer Is Looking at”

Dakota Hogback Layers

Dakota Sandstone Dinosaur Ridge is mostly made up of sandstone, a sedimentary rock composed largely of sand and other small particles It is harder than other layers of the Dakota Hogback so it erodes much slower than the softer layers, making it a more elevated area than the other parts of the hogback Without the sandstone, many of the features found in Dinosaur Ridge, could not exist “Signs Found at Dinosaur Ridge alongside the Road Explaining in Detail What the Viewer Is Looking at”

Dakota Sandstone

Ecology Because Dinosaur Ridge is in the Hogback, it is a transitional area between plains and mountains, two areas with very different elevations and ecology so it combines plant and animal life from both plains and mountains Many animals can be found around Dinosaur Ridge such as the mule deer, skunk, raccoon, gray fox, rock squirrel, and rattlesnake Many plants such as the ponderosa pine, mountain mahogany, rocky mountain juniper, and scrub oak “Signs Found at Dinosaur Ridge alongside the Road Explaining in Detail What the Viewer Is Looking at”

How it was Formed Because Dinosaur Ridge is in the Rocky Mountains, it formed the same way as the other mountains. The mountains were created by plates in Earth’s crust pushing together Rocky Mountain System." Nature.nps.gov » Explore Nature. Web. 04 Dec

How it was Changed Dinosaur Ridge was changed heavily from its original state due to the impact of the dinosaurs that lived there, the water that covered it, and simply aging over time. The atmosphere, biosphere, and hydrosphere each helped Dinosaur Ridge change in their own way. Ranger, Thomas. "Interview with Tour Guide about Project Topics." Personal interview. 15 Oct

Hydrosphere The hydrosphere played the biggest part in shaping Dinosaur Ridge because it was once underwater The water over top of the Ridge formed and changed it dramatically The body of water on top of Dinosaur Ridge was the Western Interior Seaway ""Visit Dinosaur Ridge to See the Dinosaur Freeway." Weird, Strange, Interesting, and Odd Places and Tourist Attractions to Visit. Web. 04 Dec

Western Interior Seaway About 100 million years ago a sea packed with life split the continent of North America in two from the Arctic Ocean in the north, to the Gulf of Mexico in the south It stretched from Utah to areas in the Great Plains. At a later time, when the water went away, Dinosaur Ridge was inhabited by dinosaurs and it was a shoreline to the Western Interior Seaway ""Visit Dinosaur Ridge to See the Dinosaur Freeway." Weird, Strange, Interesting, and Odd Places and Tourist Attractions to Visit. Web. 04 Dec

Western Interior Seaway

Underwater Ripple Marks Only found in Dakota Sandstone Formed by gentle waves from the Western Interior Seaway Still clearly visible because a mat of algae grew on the surface of the ripples that protected them from any damage “ Signs Found at Dinosaur Ridge alongside the Road Explaining in Detail What the Viewer Is Looking at”

Underwater Ripple Marks

Mangrove Swamps The remains of limbs and roots in the Dakota Sandstone have been there for over 100 million years and have hinted that there was once a mangrove swamp on the shore of the Western Interior Seaway The roots were covered by sediment and eventually decomposed so only marks of the trees remain “Signs Found at Dinosaur Ridge alongside the Road Explaining in Detail What the Viewer Is Looking at”

Biosphere The biosphere was also very important in the changing of Dinosaur Ridge because there were dinosaurs living on Dinosaur Ridge and they also contributed to it’s reformation Ranger, Thomas. "Interview with Tour Guide about Project Topics." Personal interview. 15 Oct

Why are there Tracks? Dinosaur Ridge was home to at least two types of dinosaurs and the Ridge was a shoreline of the Western Interior Seaway The Ridge was primarily sand so when the dinosaurs walk on it, they left footprints When the water went away, the sand hardened and the tracks became permanently fixed into the stone Ranger, Thomas. "Interview with Tour Guide about Project Topics." Personal interview. 15 Oct

Dinosaur Tracks!

Trace Fossils Found in the Dakota Sandstone They are tunnels and burrows of worms and other crustaceans that existed in the intertidal zone in the Western Interior Seaway None can be found in the sand but they left a “trace” of evidence to what kind of animals they were The underground trails are similar to those on modern day beaches “Signs Found at Dinosaur Ridge alongside the Road Explaining in Detail What the Viewer Is Looking at”

Atmosphere The atmosphere has changed Dinosaur Ridge because seasonal rains have caused flooding and water holes. This has given the current rocks the appearance of hardened mud The climate only allows certain plants and animals to live on Dinosaur Ridge as well Ranger, Thomas. "Interview with Tour Guide about Project Topics." Personal interview. 15 Oct

Weathering and Erosion Dinosaur Ridge was discovered during road excavation, so chunks of rocks have been sliding down the ridge and are on the brink of collapsing Rain and wind have broken up a layer of shale and parts of the shale are scattered across the side of the ridge Ranger, Thomas. "Interview with Tour Guide about Project Topics." Personal interview. 15 Oct

Chunks of shale eroded by wind and rain broken down and scattered around the ridge

Volcanic Ash Combined with the sandstone and shale, volcanic ash can be found at Dinosaur Ridge as a result of a volcanic eruption in northwest Colorado. Scientists found the age of the ash to be around 105 million years old. The age was calculated by using radiometric dating “Signs Found at Dinosaur Ridge alongside the Road Explaining in Detail What the Viewer Is Looking at”

Importance Dinosaur Ridge is a significant museum because it helped paleontologists identify other dinosaur fossil areas by similar features It led to the discovery of some very well known dinosaurs like the Stegosaurus because one dinosaur fossil found on Dinosaur Ridge was similar to the Stegosaurus. Ranger, Thomas. "Interview with Tour Guide about Project Topics." Personal interview. 15 Oct

Importance It helped scientists to figure out more about the Western Interior Seaway and the animals that lived in it It is a fun and cheap way for children and other people to become interested in dinosaurs and nature Ranger, Thomas. "Interview with Tour Guide about Project Topics." Personal interview. 15 Oct

Works Cited "Rocky Mountain System." Nature.nps.gov » Explore Nature. Web. 04 Dec "Visit Dinosaur Ridge to See the Dinosaur Freeway." Weird, Strange, Interesting, and Odd Places and Tourist Attractions to Visit. Web. 04 Dec Ranger, Thomas. "Interview with Tour Guide about Project Topics." Personal interview. 15 Oct Signs Found at Dinosaur Ridge alongside the Road Explaining in Detail What the Viewer Is Looking at Welcome to Dinosaur Ridge. Web. 04 Dec