Smoky Hill Chalk facts for kids
The Smoky Hill Chalk is a special place in the United States where many amazing fossils have been found. It's like a giant time capsule from the Upper Cretaceous period, which was about 85 million years ago! This area is famous for its incredibly well-preserved fossils of marine reptiles that once swam in a huge ancient sea.
Contents
Discovering the Smoky Hill Chalk
The Smoky Hill Chalk is a type of geological formation that holds many fossils. It's known as a "Lagerstätte," which is a German word meaning "storage place." This means it's a site where fossils are found in great numbers and are often very well preserved. The fossils here tell us a lot about the ancient marine life that lived in the Western Interior Seaway. This was a vast, shallow sea that once covered much of central North America.
Where is the Smoky Hill Chalk?
You can find the Smoky Hill Chalk in parts of northwest Kansas. This area is especially famous for its fossil discoveries. You can also find parts of this chalk formation in southeastern Nebraska. These places are where scientists and fossil hunters have found many incredible specimens over the years.
Incredible Fossils Found Here
The Smoky Hill Chalk is home to many different kinds of ancient marine animals. Some of the most well-known fossils found here include:
- Plesiosaurs: These were large marine reptiles with long necks and flippers, like ancient sea monsters!
- Large Bony Fish: Giant fish such as Xiphactinus swam in these waters. They could grow to be very big.
- Mosasaurs: These were powerful, lizard-like marine reptiles with strong jaws and sharp teeth. They were top predators of their time.
- Pterosaurs: While not marine reptiles, Pteranodon was a flying reptile often found here. It would fly over the sea, hunting fish.
- Flightless Marine Birds: Birds like Hesperornis lived in this ancient sea. They were excellent swimmers but could not fly.
- Turtles: Many types of ancient turtles, including large marine turtles, have been found fossilized in the chalk.
Famous Fossil Hunters
Many of the most amazing marine reptile fossils from the Smoky Hill Chalk were found by famous fossil hunters. One of them was Charles H. Sternberg and his son George F. Sternberg. They spent many years exploring the chalk beds and uncovering incredible finds.
George Sternberg once found a truly unique fossil. It was a giant bony fish called Xiphactinus audax. Inside its stomach, he found the skeleton of another bony fish, Gillicus arcuatus! This fossil shows us exactly what these ancient predators ate.
Another important fossil hunter was Edward Drinker Cope. He collected an excellent skeleton of Xiphactinus audax during a time in the late 1800s when many American scientists were very busy discovering fossils.
