| This is a view roughly northeastward to typical fossil bone-bearing badlands developed in the upper portions of the late Middle Miocene Dove Spring Formation, El Paso Mountains, Red Rock Canyon State Park, Kern County, California; the fossiliferous strata consist of lacustrine (lake-originated) clay shales, siltstones, limestones and sandstones, with interbeds of volcanic tuff and alluvial gravels. Some 88 species of vertebrate animals have been recovered from the Dove Spring Formation of the Ricardo Group, including fish, reptiles, amphibians, birds and scores of mammals. Fossil vertebrates are no longer common on the surface here, due to intensive field collecting by crews from The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. Of course, fossil collecting of any kind is not allowed at Red RockCanyon State Park, except by special permit issued by the California State Park authorities--a permit given solely to trained, qualified scientists with a degree from an accredited university whose research can be verified through independent investigators. |