List of fossil sites

This list of fossil sites is a worldwide list of localities known well for the presence of fossils. Some entries in this list are notable for a single, unique find, while others are notable for the large number of fossils found there. Many of the entries in this list are considered Lagerstätten (sedimentary deposits that exhibits extraordinary fossils with exceptional preservation—sometimes including preserved soft tissues). Lagerstätten are indicated by a note () in the noteworthiness column.

Fossils may be found either associated with a geological formation or at a single geographic site. Geological formations consist of rock that was deposited during a specific period of time. They usually extend for large areas, and sometimes there are different important sites in which the same formation is exposed. Such sites may have separate entries if they are considered to be more notable than the formation as a whole. In contrast, extensive formations associated with large areas may be equivalently represented at many locations. Such formations may be listed either without a site, with a site or sites that represent the type locality, or with multiple sites of note. When a type locality is listed as the site for a formation with many good outcrops, the site is flagged with a note (). When a particular site of note is listed for an extensive fossil-bearing formation, but that site is somehow atypical, it is also flagged with a note ().

Many formations are for all practical purposes only studied at a single site, and may not even be named. For example, sites associated with hominin, particularly caves, are frequently not identified with a named geologic formation. Therefore, some sites are listed without an associated formation.

List of sites Site Group, Formation, or UnitAge Continent Country Noteworthiness Afar DepressionPlioceneAfricaEthiopia Buia, Danakil DepressionPleistoceneAfricaEritreaHominin Ahl al Oughlam Late Pliocene AfricaMorocco Ameki FormationMiddle EoceneAfricaNigeria Awash RiverPlioceneAfricaEthiopiaHominin Cradle of Humankind Coopers Cave Gladysvale Cave Kromdraai Malapa Motsetsi Plovers Lake Sterkfontein Swartkrans and others Pliocene – PleistoceneAfricaSouth AfricaHominin HoedjiespuntPleistoceneAfricaSouth AfricaHominin HofmeyrPleistoceneAfricaSouth AfricaHominin AlnifCambrian – Late PermianAfricaMoroccoTrilobites Jebel IrhoudPleistoceneAfricaMoroccoHominin Jebel Qatrani FormationEocene – OligoceneAfricaEgyptMammals, birds Golden Gate Highlands National ParkKaroo SupergroupPermian – Early JurassicAfricaSouthern AfricaGats River Fossil BedKaroo SupergroupPermian AfricaSouth AfricaTherapsida Klasies River CavesPleistocene (Middle Stone Age)AfricaSouth AfricaHominin: Early Humans Koobi ForaPliocene – PleistoceneAfricaKenyaHominin, stone tools Koro ToroPlioceneAfricaChadHominin LaetoliPliocene – PleistoceneAfricaTanzaniaHominin footprints Ledi-GeraruPliocene (Piacenzian)AfricaEthiopiaHominin: LD 350-1, oldest fossil in genus Homo LothagamMiocene – PlioceneAfricaKenyaHominin and other mammals Berivotra Maevarano FormationLate CretaceousAfricaMadagascarDinosaurs (Non-Avian), Crocodylomorphs Kem Kem BedsLate CretaceousAfricaMoroccoNon-Avian Dinosaurs, Crocodylomorphs, etc. Kamabai rock shelterPleistoceneAfricaSierra LeoneHominin tools Olduvai GorgePlioceneAfricaTanzaniaHominin Omo Kibish Omo Kibish Formation (= Kibish Formation)Pliocene – PleistoceneAfricaEthiopiaHominin: australopithecine remains and stone tools Orapa diamond mineLate CretaceousAfricaBotswanaFlowering Plants, Insects Qasr el Sagha FormationEoceneAfricaEgypt Rusinga IslandMioceneAfricaKenyaHominin, mammals Shungura FormationPliocene – Early PleistoceneAfricaEthiopiaHominin toolsSoom Shale Table Mountain Group (Cederberg Formation) Late OrdovicianAfricaSouth AfricaTypical Ordovician microfossils, such as chitinozoa, acritarchs and spores, in addition to shelly and soft tissue fauna. TaungPlioceneAfricaSouth AfricaHominin Tendaguru FormationLate JurassicAfricaTanzaniaNon-Avian Dinosaurs, etc. West Coast Fossil ParkTerminal Miocene/Early PlioceneAfricaSouth Africa Yengema NeolithicAfricaSierra LeoneHominin tools Seymour IslandCross Valley FormationLate PaleoceneAntarctica Seymour Island La Meseta FormationEoceneAntarcticaBirds, particularly penguins Seymour IslandLópez de Bertodano FormationLate Cretaceous – Early Paleocene (Maastrichtian – Danian)AntarcticaNon- Avian Dinosaurs, Birds Seymour Island Sobral FormationPaleocene (Danian)Antarctica Vega IslandLópez de Bertodano FormationLate Cretaceous – Early Paleocene (Maastrichtian – Danian)AntarcticaNon-Avian Dinosaurs, Birds Longing PeninsulaNordenskjöld FormationJurassicAntarctica Mount KirkpatrickHanson FormationEarly JurassicAntarcticaRoss dependency James Ross Island Santa Marta Formation Snow Hill Island FormationLate CretaceousAntarcticaDinosaurs Mount Falla Falla FormationTriassicAntarctica Fremouw Peak Fremouw FormationTriassicAntarcticaRoss Dependency Cumulus HillsThrinaxodon ColTriassicAntarcticaRoss Dependency Aguja FormationLate CretaceousNorth AmericaUS: Texas and Mexico: Chihuahua, Coahuila Ashfall Fossil BedsAsh Hollow Formation (Ogallala Group)Miocene (Clarendonian)North AmericaUS: NebraskaMammals Astoria, Oregon Astoria FormationMioceneNorth AmericaUS: Oregon Cutler Fossil Site Sinkhole in Miami Limestonelate PleistoceneNorth AmericaUS: Floridahumans and vertebrates Page-Ladson siteSinkhole in Suwannee LimestonePleistocene/HoloceneNorth AmericaUS: FloridaHominin, human/mastodon coexistence White Rock Creek (Dallas, Texas) Austin ChalkLate CretaceousNorth AmericaUS: Texas Travis County, Texas Austin ChalkLate CretaceousNorth AmericaUS: Texas Beecher's Trilobite BedFrankfort FormationOrdovicianNorth AmericaUS: New YorkTrilobites Mount Blanco Blanco FormationPliocene/PleistoceneNorth AmericaUS: Kansas, TexasBlancan faunaBlue BeachTournaisianNorth AmericaCanada: Nova Scotia Little Bob Quarry, Bobcaygeon, Ontario Bobcaygeon FormationOrdovicianNorth AmericaCanada: Ontario Bone Cabin QuarryMorrison FormationJurassicNorth AmericaUS: WyomingNon-Avian Dinosaurs Fitterer Ranch Obritsch Ranch Little Badlands in Stark County Badlands National ParkBrule FormationOligoceneNorth AmericaUS: South DakotaMammals, sunfish, cat fish Kootenay National ParkBurgess ShaleCambrian (Albertan)North AmericaCanada: British Columbia Calvert Cliffs State Park Calvert FormationMioceneNorth AmericaUS: MarylandMiddle Miocene Climate Transition and Middle Miocene disruptionGoodsell Ridge, Isle La Motte (Lake Champlain) Chazy FormationOrdovicianNorth AmericaUS: VermontEarly Reef: bryozoa, corals, stromatoporoidsChuckanut Drive, south of Bellingham, Washington Chuckanut FormationEoceneNorth AmericaUS: Washington stateFossil trackways from birds, mammals and turtles Como BluffCloverly FormationEarly CretaceousNorth AmericaUS: Montana, WyomingNon-Avian Dinosaurs, some mammals, turtles, crocodilians, and fishCoon Creek Coon Creek FormationCretaceous (Maastrichtian)North AmericaUS: Tennessee and Mississippi Marine reptiles, particularly mosasaurs and plesiosaurs Invertebrates: Turritella (sea snails), bryozoans, clams, crabs, shrimp and some sharks Denali National Park and PreserveCantwell FormationLate CretaceousNorth AmericaUS: AlaskaNon-Avian Dinosaur tracks, plants, insects Dinosaur Provincial ParkDinosaur Park FormationCretaceous (Campanian)North AmericaCanada: AlbertaNon- Avian Dinosaurs Dinosaur State ParkJurassicNorth AmericaUS: ConnecticutDinosaur tracks Driftwood Canyon Provincial ParkEoceneNorth AmericaCanada: British ColumbiaInsects and fish Drumheller, BadlandsMesozoicNorth AmericaCanada: Alberta Ellisdale Fossil SiteMarshalltown FormationCretaceous (Campanian)North AmericaUS: New Jersey Ochillee Creek at Old Ochillee Eutaw FormationCretaceousNorth AmericaUS: Alabama, Georgia, MississippiDinosaur, mosasaur, and pterosaur Falls of the OhioJefferson LimestoneDevonianNorth AmericaUS: IndianaCorals (Tabulate coral and Rugosa) Florissant Fossil BedsFlorissant FormationEocene (Priabonian)North AmericaUS: ColoradoInsects Fossil Prairie ParkDevonianNorth AmericaUS: Iowa Mazon CreekFrancis Creek ShaleCarboniferous (Pennsylvanian)North AmericaUS: Illinois Ghost RanchTriassicNorth AmericaUS: New MexicoNon-Avian Dinosaurs Hagerman Fossil Beds National MonumentGlenns Ferry FormationPliocene/PleistoceneNorth AmericaUS: IdahoHagerman horse ('American Zebra'), Camelops Dinosaur Valley State ParkGlen Rose FormationCretaceous (Aptian-Albian)North AmericaUS: TexasDinosaur footprints Gray Fossil SitePlioceneNorth AmericaUS: TennesseeMammalsFossil Butte National Monument Green River FormationEoceneNorth AmericaUS: Utah, Colorado, and WyomingFishes Schreiber, Ontario Gunflint ChertLate Archaean – Early ProterozoicNorth AmericaCanada: western Ontario & US: Minnesota (Gunflint Range) Stromatolite colonies of cyanobacteria Hilda mega-bonebedDinosaur Park FormationCretaceous (Maastrichtian)North AmericaCanada: AlbertaDinosaurs Joggins Fossil CliffsCarboniferousNorth AmericaCanada: Nova ScotiaJohn Day Fossil Beds National Monument John Day FormationEocene – MioceneNorth AmericaUS: OregonMammals: dogs, cats, oreodonts, saber-toothed cats, horses, camels, and rodents * Jurassic National Monument in the San Rafael Swell Morrison FormationJurassicNorth AmericaUS: Utah Non- Avian Dinosaurs and other vertebratesClarno Unit, John Day Fossil Beds National Monument Clarno FormationEoceneNorth AmericaUS: OregonPlants: tropical and subtropical nuts, fruits, roots, branches, and seeds Zion National Park Capitol Reef National Park Canyonlands National ParkKayenta Formation (Glen Canyon Group)JurassicNorth AmericaUS: Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, and Utah Non- Avian Dinosaurs and other vertebrates KishenehnKishenehn FormationMid-Eocene North AmericaUS: MontanaInsectsKlondike Mountain near Republic, Washington Klondike Mountain FormationEocene (Ypresian)North AmericaUS: Washington Plants and Insects Krukowski QuarryCambrianNorth AmericaUS: Wisconsin La Brea Tar PitsPleistocene (Rancholabrean)North AmericaUS: California Hadrosaurus Foulkii Leidy SiteWoodbury FormationCretaceousNorth AmericaUS: New JerseyDinosaurs: Hadrosaurus Franceville basinFrancevillian B FormationPalaeoproterozoicAfricaGabonPossible earliest evidence for multicellularity in fossil record, known for Francevillian Biota The Mammoth SitePleistocene: RancholabreanNorth AmericaUS: South Dakota Manchester QuarryTriassicNorth AmericaUS: Connecticut Manuels RiverCambrianNorth AmericaCanada: NewfoundlandTrilobites McAbee Fossil BedsEoceneNorth AmericaCanada: British Columbia Plants, insects, and fish Melbourne Bone BedPleistoceneNorth AmericaUS: FloridaMegafauna, Hominin (the "Melbourne Man") Miguasha National ParkDevonian (Famennian)North AmericaCanada: Québec Mistaken PointMistaken Point FormationEdiacaranNorth AmericaCanadaEdiacara biota (early multicellular life) Como BluffMorrison FormationLate JurassicNorth AmericaCanada/United States (Great Plains) Edson Quarry Ogallala FormationMiocene/PlioceneNorth AmericaUS: Kansas Lake Meredith National Recreation Area