Tensleep Sandstone facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Tensleep Formation Stratigraphic range: Late Pennsylvanian-very Early Permian ~308–298Ma PreЄ Є O S D C P T J K Pg N
Type	Geological formation
Underlies	Phosphoria & Chugwater Formations
Overlies	Sacajewea & Amsden Formations
Thickness	up to 535 feet (160 m)
Lithology
Primary	Sandstone
Other	Limestone
Location
Coordinates	42°36′N 108°12′W / 42.6°N 108.2°W / 42.6; -108.2
Approximate paleocoordinates	4°18′N 35°12′W / 4.3°N 35.2°W / 4.3; -35.2
Region	Wyoming
Country	USA
Type section
Named for	Ten Sleep, Wyoming
Named by	N.H. Darton
Year defined	1904

The Tensleep Sandstone is a special type of rock layer found in Wyoming, USA. It's called a geological formation because it's a distinct set of rocks that geologists can map and study. This formation formed a very long time ago, during the Pennsylvanian and early Permian periods. These periods were part of the Paleozoic Era, when Earth's continents looked very different and ancient life forms thrived.

Discovering Ancient Footprints

Scientists can learn a lot about Earth's past by studying rocks. Sometimes, these rocks hold clues about animals that lived millions of years ago, even if we don't find their bones. These clues are called trace fossils.

What are Trace Fossils?

Trace fossils are not the actual body parts of an animal, like bones or teeth. Instead, they are signs of an animal's activity. This can include things like footprints, burrows, or even fossilized droppings. They tell us how ancient creatures moved and lived.

The Mystery of the Tensleep Footprints

In 1932, two scientists named Edward Branson and Maurice Mehl made an exciting discovery in the Tensleep Sandstone. They found a set of fossil footprints! These footprints were so unique that they named a new type of fossil track, Steganoposaurus belli.

The tracks showed that the animal had webbed feet and was a bit less than three feet long. At first, scientists thought it might have been an amphibian, like a giant salamander. However, the toe prints were pointed, more like a reptile's foot, rather than round like an amphibian's.

Hylonomus was an early reptile that might have made tracks similar to those found in the Tensleep Formation.

This meant the creature was likely an early reptile. It might have been similar to an ancient reptile called Hylonomus, which was one of the earliest known reptiles. Another similar set of fossil footprints, called Tridentichnus, has been found in the Supai Formation in Arizona. These discoveries help us piece together the puzzle of life on Earth millions of years ago.