Clark Quarry facts for kids
The Clark Quarry is a special place in southern Georgia where scientists dig up old bones and plants, called fossils. It's like a window into the past! People first found fossils here way back in 1838 and 1839, when they were building the Brunswick Canal.
What is Clark Quarry Made Of?
Clark Quarry is located near Brunswick, Georgia, in Glynn County. This area is made of layers of earth that tell a story about ancient rivers and seas. Imagine a place where an old river once flowed, dropping off dirt and sand. This river material then covered up even older sand that was once part of the ocean floor.
The sand from the old ocean is very fine and smooth, like beach sand. It's part of what geologists call the Princess Anne Terrace, which was an ancient coastline. This whole area dates back to the pleistocene era, also known as the Ice Age, on the geologic timescale. During the Ice Age, many large and amazing animals roamed the Earth!
Animals from the Past
At Clark Quarry, scientists have found many different kinds of fossils. These fossils help us learn about the animals that lived in Georgia during the Ice Age. It's like finding clues to a giant puzzle about Earth's history!
Here are some of the animals whose fossils have been found at Clark Quarry:
- Woodchuck–Marmota monax
- Bog lemming–Synaptomys cooperi
- Capybara–Hydrochoeris holmesi
- Florida or round-tailed muskrat–Neofiber alleni
- Rice rat–Oryzomys palustris
- Cotton rat–Sigmodon hispidus
- Harvest mouse–Reithrodontomys
- Columbian Mammoth–Mammuthus columbi
- Pleistocene Bison–Bison latifrons
- American Alligator–Alligator mississippiensis
- Nerodia sp (a type of water snake)
- Garter Snake–Thamnophis sp
- Giant Ground Sloth–Megatherium
- Mastodon–Mastodon giganteum
- Horse–Equus ferus
- White-tail deer–Odocoileus virginianus
