Geomorphology

Introduction
Welcome to the Canon City Dinosaur Party. This site will introduce you to the Garden Park Fossil Area and Skyline Drive Track Site located near Canon City, Colorado. Canon City is located about 42 miles southwest of Colorado Springs. 

Both areas are noted for the spectacular remnants of dinosaurs found in the area. According to the Colorado State Parks, Garden Park has been dubbed the greatest dinosaur graveyard in the world (Colorado State Parks). Bones were deposited in the Morrison Formation about 145 to 155 million years ago during the Jurassic Period. The various colored claystones, limestones, and sandstones were deposited on the broad alluvial plain by meandering rives that were common in the area at the time. Dinosaur bones were deposited throughout the 320 foot thick Morrison Formation. The bones were first discovered in the 1870s by local residents. Soon the area was being explored and excavated by prominent paleontologists Edward Cope and Othniel Marsh. Different types of dinosaur?s bones have been found in the area including Allosaurus, Ceratosaurus, Diplodocus, and Stegosaurus.  

Marsh-Felch Quarry at Garden Park Fossil Area

The bulging imprints of Skyline Drive Tracksite

In 1992, the most complete Stegosaurus ever discovered was removed from the park. Work to restore the dinosaur was performed by volunteers at the Dinosaur Depot in Canon City and the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. A replica of the stegosaurus is on display at the Dinosaur Depot. 

A road along the west edge of Canon City traverses a narrow hogback called Skyline Drive. In 1999, dinosaur tracks were discovered in the Dakota Sandstone along the road. Deposited during the Cretaceous Period about 110 million years ago, the area was once a beach area along the Western Interior Seaway. The tracks bulge out rather thanbeing left as depressions in the once muddy environment. Later, the deposits were tilted during the uplift of the Rocky Mountains thus giving a different view of the preserved tracks.  

Attraction
Of particular interest in this area is the Garden Park Fossil Area, the Skyline Drive Trackway Site, and the Dinosaur Depot in Canon City, Colorado, a real party of dinosaurs.

Image source: www.dinoruss.org

The Garden Park site has been a very productive site for the study of Late Jurassic Period dinosaurs. Fossils of Allosaurus, Ceratosaurus, Diplodocus, and Stegosaurus have been found in this area. There has also been discoveries of fossils of mammals, reptiles, and land plants from this same time period. The world's most complete Stegosaurus was excavated at this site and removed in 1992. A full size replica of this spectacular beast is on display at the Dinosaur Depot located at 330 Royal Gorge Boulevard in Canon City.

The Skyline Drive Trackway Site is located at one of Canon City's most popular attractions, at the top of Skyline Drive. Discovered by a local resident in 2002, this area has a public display of dinosaur tracks from the early Cretaceous Period. The tracks, along with other trace fossils were deposited in the Dakota Sandstone Hogback that is located at the western edge of Canon City. This area was once a shallow sea where it is believed that the dinosaurs traveled along the coast eating the plants that grew in the area.

The Dinosaur Depot Museum is located in the heart of dinosaur fossil country. It is operated by the Garden Park Paleontolgy Society and their website can be accessed here.

Enjoy the trip through time and partying with the dinosaurs!

Overview
The Garden Park Fossil Area is located in the Morrison Formation which was deposited during the Jurassic period (180-135 mya). This formation has occasionally been referred to as the Easter Egg Formation because of the red and green clay, silt, and shale sediments that make up the deposits. The warm moist climate and the swampy environment were ideal for the preservation of fossils and foot prints along this lowland lake and stream environment.

The overlying Dakota Formation that was deposited during the Cretaceous Period consisted of sandstone that was present during a time when the area was being covered by an advancing sea. These deposits were idea for the preservation of the Anklosaurus tracks that are present at the Skyline Drive Trackway Site along the western edge of Canon City. 

These areas, which are part of the southern foothills of Colorado, consist of Pinion and Juniper trees that have adapted to survive the extreme temperature ranges and dry conditions that are common in this part of the state. The area is part of the Canon City Embayment that was created from uplifting and erosion forces and is located along the eastern edge of the hogbacks and the foothills of the Wet Mountains.

Geomorphic Processes
The uplift of the Rocky Mountains has had a powerful influence on the Garden Park Fossil Area. The sedimentary rocks have experienced some very significant erosional forces along with distortions created through the geological processes of mountain building. Four Mile Creek has carved its way through the Mesozoic and Paleozoic sedimentary layers exposing the Morrison Formation. This formation contains a high amount of swelling clays which has resulted in large faulted blocks that are slowly moving towards the creek. Many dinosaur fossils have been found in the Morrison Formation.

The formation in Garden Park consists of a lower unit and an upper unit. Green and grey mudstones with numerous white to tan mudstones makes up most of the lower unit while red mudstone with smaller amounts of yellowish sandstone. The course of Fourmile Creek passes through a water gap in the Dakota sandstone hogback.

There is also a visible water gap from the top of Skyline Drive. This opening was carved through the Niobrara Formation which forms a ?barrier? between the Dakota Hogback area on the east side of Skyline Drive and the city of Canon City. The water gap was created by abrasion of rocks against one another when two drainages came together.

There is much mechanical and chemical weathering to be seen along Skyline Drive. The various layers of shale weather faster than the limestone. This area has experience both natural mechanical weathering and human caused weathering. Organic weathering can be seen on the Dakota Sandstone by the colorful lichens on the rocks. Various ripple marks can be seen in the sandstone which was a beach during the lower part of the Cretaceous period. There is some evidence of desert varnish caused by iron in the sandstone along with sulfur and chlorite deposits within the tidal flat environment. The variety of formations and deposits in this area is ideal to observe various differential weathering processes that have resulted in viewing a wide span of geological time.

Hazards
The Garden Park area, located next to Fourmile Creek can be prone to flash flooding during heavy summer thunderstorms. Water does not infiltrate the shale and clay soils very fast which allows for a heavy amount of runoff. Visitors are encouraged to take note of any inclement weather and to get to higher ground should the need arise. There are also loose rocks in the area and visitors should be cautious when hiking along the trails. 

The Skyline Drive area is a narrow road along the top of the Dakota Hogback and drivers should be cautious and attentive to their driving. When the area is wet, the soils become muddy and slippery. Caution should be taken when hiking in the area as there are some old mining shafts that are extremely dangerous and should not be entered. Rocks can be loosened by rain and weathering and can become dislodged, so special attention should be taken while in the area.

Driving Directions and Google Earth .kmz File

• Site #1: Google Earth Map for Garden Park Fossil Area: link

• Site #2: Google Earth Map for Skyline Drive Track Site: link

Driving Directions from Downtown Colorado Springs:

To Site # 1 - Garden Park Fossil Area:

• From South Academy Boulevard in Colorado Springs, turn south onto Hwy 115 towards Canon City for 31.2 miles.

• At Penrose, merge westbound onto Hwy 50 towards Canon City for 9.4 miles.

• At the stoplight of Hwy 50 and Raynolds Avenue (Burger King on the NW corner), turn right and proceed north .64 miles.

• Go around a 90 degree corner to the left and then take a right on Field Avenue.

• Proceed north.  Field Avenue will join Garden Park Road (sometimes called Red Canyon Road or County Rd. 9), 2.22 miles.

• From this point, continue on Red Canyon Road.  The name will change to Garden Park Road for 3.31 miles. The Garden Park Fossil Area is on your right near the creek.

To Site # 2 - Skyline Drive Track Site:

• From South Academy Boulevard in Colorado Springs, turn south onto Hwy 115 towards Canon City for 31.2 miles.

• At Penrose, merge westbound onto Hwy 50 towards Canon City for 9.4 miles.

• Continue driving through Canon City on Hwy 50 (Royal Gorge Boulevard) and continue west.

• From the sharp curve on the west end of town, proceed to the entrance of Skyline Drive, 2.65 miles.

• Turn right onto Skyline Drive and proceed along the road for 0.86 miles. The dinosaur track site is located on left.