10 California US http://www.paleoportal.org/media/boilerplate/0/56747_state_map_road_10_image.jpg http://www.paleoportal.org/media/boilerplate/0/44522_state_fossil_img_10_image.jpg <b><i>Smilodon floridanus</i></b> This saber-toothed cat lived in California during the Pleistocene epoch (~ 1.6 million&#150;10,000 years ago). <i>Smilodon</i> is thought to be an ambush predator because of its small bobtail, long canines (saber-teeth), and relatively short but strong limbs. University of California Museum of Paleontology <b>The Precambrian and Paleozoic:</b> Sedimentary rocks from the Precambrian and Early Paleozoic are most often found in the White Mountains, Inyo Mountains, and near Death Valley in Southern California. The Precambrian rocks rarely contain fossils, but deposits from the Cambrian through Devonian contain numerous fossils, such as corals, ammonites, and brachiopods, indicating a shallow, warm water environment teeming with life. The fossil record of the later Paleozoic (Carboniferous and Permian), best represented in Northern California (Shasta and Butte Counties), indicates both shallow and deep water deposits, as well as swamps and <glossary>estuarine</glossary> environments. Some of the late Paleozoic rocks are most likely <glossary>exotic terranes</glossary> that were carried in from the west as a result of <glossary>tectonic</glossary> activity. <b>The Mesozoic:</b> The Mesozoic was a time of extensive tectonic activity and volcanism associated with the rise of the Sierra Nevada. As these mountains eroded, their deposits accumulated in the Central Valley forming the rocks of the Great Valley Sequence. Mesozoic rocks and fossils from marine and terrestrial environments are broadly distributed throughout the state. This fossil record includes a high diversity of invertebrates, as well as marine reptiles, ginkgoes, cycads, and conifers. <b>The Cenozoic:</b> During the Tertiary, tectonic and volcanic activity that began in the Cretaceous continued to <glossary>uplift</glossary> the Coast and Transverse Ranges. Shallow marine, estuarine, freshwater, and terrestrial rocks were deposited around the state as sea levels fluctuated. Glaciers, lakes, and large river systems developed during the Quaternary. Well-preserved fossils from their deposits reveal a flora and fauna not too different from that of today. Deposits like the La Brea Tar Pits remind us that numerous large vertebrates, such as the saber-tooth cats, camels, and mammoths, also roamed the state. Sarah Rieboldt, Judy Scotchmoor, David Lindberg: University of California Museum of Paleontology Additional Contributors:<br> Lindsay Groves, LouElla Saul, Sam MacLeod: <em>Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County</em> Carol Tang, Peter Roopnarine: <em>California Academy of Sciences</em> Jere Lipps, Diane Erwin, David Haasl, Ken Finger, Pat Holroyd, Mark Goodwin: <em>University of California Museum of Paleontology</em> http://www.consrv.ca.gov/cgs/information/publications/cgs_notes/note_17/note_17.pdf Geologic map of CA from California Geological Survey (625 KB PDF) 10 <map name="state"> <area shape="rect" coords="126,5,156,25" href="index.php?globalnav=time_space&sectionnav=state&name=Oregon!period!" alt="Oregon State Map"> <area shape="rect" coords="156,139,187,159" href="index.php?globalnav=time_space&sectionnav=state&name=Nevada!period!" alt="Nevada State Map"> <area shape="rect" coords="247,396,274,416" href="index.php?globalnav=time_space&sectionnav=state&name=Arizona!period!" alt="Arizona State Map"> <area shape="rect" coords="44,416,149,436" href="index.php?globalnav=time_space&sectionnav=state&name=Northwest%20region!period!" alt="Northwest Mexico Region Map"> </map> October 29, 2003 at 05:46:52 August 14, 2008 at 10:24:13 Organizations Museums 13 25 http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu The University of California Museum of Paleontology web site offers a wealth of information on geologic time, paleontology, evolution, and much more. 0 Organizations Museums 13 243 http://www.tarpits.org/ Explore a virtual exhibit about the Tar Pits, learn about the animals and environments of California during the Quaternary, and find information on when, where, and how to visit the La Brea Tar Pits. 0 Organizations Museums 13 296 http://www.sdnhm.org/ This museum houses a wide variety of exhibits on California natural history. 0 Organizations Museums 13 2548 http://www.youtube.com/user/CooperCenterOC From the Dr. John D. Cooper Center Archaeological and Paleontological Center, comes the Cooper Channel. A channel dedicated to producing educational shows for all ages that focus on Orange County paleontology and archaeology. 0 Organizations Museums 13 133 http://alfmuseum.org/ The only paleontology museum in the world located on a high school campus. Located in Claremont, CA, the museum offers numerous programs for students. 0 Organizations Museums 13 426 http://www.co.san-bernardino.ca.us/museum/ The San Bernardino County Museum in Redlands, California is a Federally-recognized, accredited repository for thousands of invertebrate and vertebrate fossils from throughout southern California, Nevada, and the southwestern United States. 0 Organizations Colleges and Universities 12 460 http://ib.berkeley.edu One of the premier paleobiology programs. 0 Organizations Colleges and Universities 12 462 http://www.eeb.ucla.edu/ General information about the Dept of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at UCLA, which includes study in paleobiology. 0 Organizations Colleges and Universities 12 463 http://departments.oxy.edu/geology/ Occidental College offers undergraduate courses in paleontology. 0 Organizations Colleges and Universities 12 461 http://www.earthscience.ucr.edu Information on the earth science faculty, staff, research programs, and facilities at UC Riverside. Also contains information on the geological history of the area. 0 Organizations Government Agencies 14 244 http://www.consrv.ca.gov/cgs/index.htm Find information, maps, and publications about the paleontology, geology, and natural resources of California. 0 Organizations Government Agencies 14 2549 http://coopercenter.fullerton.edu/ The Dr. John D. Cooper Archaeological and Paleontological Center is dedicated to preserving the natural and cultural history of Orange County, California. The Cooper Center, a partnership between O.C. Parks and California State University Fullerton, is committed to the preservation, curation, and management of the fossils and artifacts collected within the County. 0 Education and Exhibits Virtual Exhibits 30 1033 http://www.nhm.org/site/research-collections/vertebrate-paleontology/red-rock-canyon See vertebrate fossils collected in our popular weekend field trips by the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County 1 Education and Exhibits Virtual Exhibits 30 1053 http://www.museumca.org/collection/rustler-ranch-mastodon This site features the story of a mastodon excavated and prepared by The Oakland Museum of California science preparation staff. Contains information on mastodons as well as fossil excavation and preparation techniques. 0 Education and Exhibits Virtual Exhibits 30 64 http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/quaternary/labrea.html This site offers a discussion and images of fossils from the La Brea Tar Pits. 0 Education and Exhibits Virtual Exhibits 30 262 http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/cambrian/marblemts.html This UC Museum of Paleontology exhibit introduces the Marble Mountains, located in southeastern California. These mountains have a rich Cambrian fossil biota that is well-exposed in the southern part of the range. 0 Education and Exhibits Physical Exhibits 31 430 http://www.nhm.org/ Largest natural history museum of California and parent organization for George Page Museum. Here, find information on when, where, and how to visit the LACM. Site includes information on the physical exhibits, virtual exhibits, and on-going research at the museum. 0 Research and Collections Ongoing Research Projects 10 1434 http://www.alfmuseum.org/science/research A description of the holdings and current research underway at the museum. 0 Resources Courses and Lectures 23 291 http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~rcb7/paleogeogwus.html 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. 0 Resources Image Collections 27 2449 http://inyo.coffeecup.com/site/brachiopods/brachiopods.html Images of several fossil brachiopods, dating in geologic age from early Cambrian to Pleistocene, with explanatory text. 0 Resources Field Guides 22 2428 http://inyo.coffeecup.com/site/redrock/redrockfossils.html This site is devoted to the paleontology, geology, and natural history of Red Rock Canyon State Park, California; many images of fossils, scenic images of the park, plus images of wildflowers. 0 Resources Field Guides 22 2429 http://inyo.coffeecup.com/site/sb/sharkbonebed.html Take a virtual field trip to the classic Sharktooth Hill fossil bone bed northeast of Bakersfield, California; includes text, images of fossils, on-site images and paleontology links. 0 Resources Field Guides 22 2430 http://inyo.coffeecup.com/site/ione/ioneproject.html The fossil plants of the Middle Eocene Ione Formation, Amador County, California; many images of fossil leaves, plus on-site images of field trips to the fossil leaf localities. 0 Resources Field Guides 22 2431 http://inyo.coffeecup.com/site/manix/manixlakebeds.html The fossiliferous Upper Pleistocene Manix Formation on California's Mojave Desert; many images of fossils; detailed virtual field trips, plus many pertinent links. 0 Resources Field Guides 22 2432 http://inyo.coffeecup.com/site/latham/latham.html Take a virtual field trip to a classic trilobite site on California's Mojave Desert; detailed text; images of fossils; on-site images; links to the early Cambrian and to trilobites. 0 Resources Field Guides 22 2433 http://inyo.coffeecup.com/site/coso/coso.html Visit a 4.8 to 3.0 million-year-old vertebrate fossil locality in the Coso Range, Inyo County, California; includes images of fossils, plus on-site images. 0 Resources Field Guides 22 2435 http://inyo.coffeecup.com/site/cf/carfieldtrip.html Take a virtual field trip to a classic trilobite site on California's Mojave Desert; detailed text; images of fossils. 0 Resources Field Guides 22 2436 http://inyo.coffeecup.com/site/uw/unionwash.html Visit a famous Early Triassic ammonite locality in the shadows of Mount Whitney; virtual field trip; many images of fossils; paleontology links, plus links to Inyo County. 0 Resources Field Guides 22 2441 http://inyo.coffeecup.com/site/im/inyofossils.html Visit a classic 325-million-year-old fossil locality near the crest of California's Inyo Mountains; detailed text; images of fossils; scenic images. 0 Resources Field Guides 22 2445 http://inyo.coffeecup.com/site/dv/wsgeology.htm Take a virtual field trip to a world-famous Early Cambrian locality in northwestern Death Valley National Park; detailed text, with on-site image and links to images of fossils. 0 Resources Field Guides 22 2586 http://inyo.coffeecup.com/site/barstowfossils/barstowfossils.html Virtual field trips to two world-famous fossil localities in the middle Miocene Barstow Formation, California; detailed text, with images of fossils and on-site photos. 0 Resources General Reference 38 2426 http://inyo.coffeecup.com/site/kh/kettleman.html The 4.5 to 2.0 million-year-old Pliocene-age fossils that occur in the Kettleman Hills, roughly 80 miles northwest of Bakersfield, California. 0 Resources General Reference 38 2427 http://inyo.coffeecup.com/site/dv/dvfossils.htm The paleontology, geology and natural wonders of Death Valley National Park (and more); many images of fossils; field trips; paleontology links, plus links to Death Valley. 0