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The Cretaceous in New Mexico, US

Cretaceous in New Mexico map

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Cretaceous Fossils
Fossil photos from Cretaceous in New Mexico

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Paleontology and geology

During the Cretaceous, New Mexico was split by a seacoast, with sea to the east and land to the west. Huge rivers flowed from the west to a coastline hugged by dense jungles and coal-forming swamps. Dinosaurs roamed the area. The muddy sea floor to the east filled with oysters and other molluscs. Ammonites and other sea creatures swam in the warm shallow waters. This map indicates that most of the exposures of Cretaceous rocks occur in the northern sections of the state with only small patches in the central and southern areas.

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Resources

Resources

Courses and Lectures (showing 1 of 1 listings)

Paleogeography of the Southwestern U.S.: The paleogeography of the southwestern U.S. from 1.8 billion years ago to 10 million years ago. Text and images by Dr. Ron Blakey from Northern Arizona University.

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Databases (showing 1 of 1 listings)

New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science Web-based Paleo-database Home Page: Search the fossil collections of the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science. Listings by Kingdom down to species, era, epoch, group, formation, country, New Mexico county, and map ID. Many listings contain images of the fossils (including all holotypes.) 

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