| A desert explorer stops along the dirt trail in Last Chance Canyon. The wonderfully weathered pale greenish sandstones of the late Middle Miocene Dove Spring Formation yield enormous quantities of beautifully preserved, silicified and even opalized petrified woods, particularly chunks of wood from a Black Locust (Robinia alexanderi) and palm roots from an extinct palm called scientifically Palmoxylodon mohavensis. Some eight species of fossil plants have been identified from the lacustrine (lake-deposited) geologic facies of the Dove Spring Formation in Last Chance Canyon, including Black Locust, pinyon pine, cypress, evergreen live oak, red-root (New Jersey Tea), acacia, desert thorn and palm. Of course, all of Last Chance Canyon now lies within the boundaries of Red Rock Canyon State Park; fossil collecting is strictly forbidden there, except by special permit from the California State Parks authorities, who issue such permission only to fully qualified, trained scientists with a degree from an accredited university. |