Dinosaur State Park and Arboretum
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Dinosaur State Park and Arboretum is a unique 63-acre (250,000 m2) state park located 20 minutes south of Hartford at 400 West Street, Rocky Hill, Connecticut, USA. It contains one of the largest dinosaur track sites in North America, with a fine display of early Jurassic fossil tracks in sandstone from about 200 million years ago.
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History
The Connecticut Valley has an extensive history of fossil discoveries. Some of these fossils date to the Jurassic Period. Many specimens uncovered in brownstone quarries during the 1800s were included into the collections of museums throughout the world. History was made 1966 when hundreds of dinosaur tracks were exposed in Rocky Hill.[1] The dinosaur tracks in Rocky Hill were discovered by a bulldozer operator who was excavating the property for a new state building. The site became Dinosaur State Park. The site officially became a Registered National Landmark in 1968.[2]
Dinosaur tracks
Dinosaur State Park is one of the largest dinosaur track sites in North America. At present 500 tracks are enclosed within a 55,000-square-foot (5,100 m2) geodesic dome; the remaining 1,500 are buried for preservation. The park's in site tracks are Eubrontes, named by Prof. Edward Hitchcock, pioneering student of fossilized tracks and one of America's first geologists. They range from 10 to 16 inches (410 mm) in length and are spaced 3.5 to 4.5 feet (1.4 m) apart. The exhibit center also includes rock slabs with other Connecticut Valley fossil tracks, including large four-toed Otozoum tracks with clearly visible skin impressions.[3]
In addition to the dinosaur tracks, the exhibit center contains a life-size Triassic diorama, a life-size Jurassic diorama, a reconstruction of a geologic formation, interactive displays, an auditorium, a children's discovery room and gift shop.
Arboretum
The arboretum's goal is to grow representatives of as many Mesozoic Era plant families as possible on the site. It currently contains more than two miles (3 km) of nature trails with more than 250 species and cultivars of conifers, plus good collections of arborvitae, chamaecyparis, ginkgo, juniper, katsura, pine, and magnolia. Recent plantings have focused on woody plants from the Cretaceous angiosperm families.[4]
Related
- Connecticut River Valley trackways
- List of botanical gardens in the United States
- List of fossil sites (with link directory)
References
External links
Coordinates: 41°39′7″N 72°39′25″W / 41.65194°N 72.65694°W