Berlin-Icthyosaur State Park, Part II

Berlin-Icthyosaur State Park is unique because it combines two outstanding features - the old mining town of Berlin (see the last post) and the world's largest concentration of fossilized icthyosaurs (literally "fish lizard).

Note the long snout and large eyes of the Icthyosaur

Where as dolphins are fish-like mammals, and also come in various sizes and types, these were "fish-like" reptiles of which there were several different species. They needed air to breath, and came in several different sizes. Paleontologists have found them all around the world, but the specimens here are of the larger species (Shonisaurus popularis) and more complete than those found at many of the other sites.

It seems that during what is known as the Triassic there was something that killed a lot of little fish, or at least made them sick (something like the red algae we get now) and the several icthyosaurs ate the sick and dying fish, which killed the icthyosaurs, causing them to fall in an overlapping heap at the bottom of the ocean.

For some reason they were fairly quickly covered with sediment, thus preserving them in pretty much the same arrangement they were in when they died. These overlapping bones are tricky to interpret first, but once you see the arrangement of tails and fins it makes sense. The display in the shelter surrounds several overlapping animals, and important bones are marked so the presentation makes it easy to understand the mechanics of what happened.

The thin bones at top left are a ribcage, round on lower right are vertebrae.

Ocean? in Nevada?

Keep in mind, this event occurred about 200 million years ago, give or take a few months, so the environment has changed a bit since then.

At the time these critters were swimming around this area was ocean, it was farther south, probably in the tropics, and was situated along the western coast of what is now North America. This is all according to paleogeographers who study this sort of thing and interpret the changes in the rocks over time. An excellent resource for learning about the geology and paleohistory of this part of Nevada is Geology Underfoot in Central Nevada. The book has great chapters on both aspects of the park, including maps and photos.

On the left the largest and on the right the smallest vertebrae found here.

The fossils were discovered in the 1930's, and Dr. Camp and is team spent about ten years studying them. Once the paleontologists were finished with their work the site was covered with a protective enclosure that is locked when there is no ranger present. The park offers tours twice a day (and a small fee is charged). The "tour" is helpful as just looking through the enclosure windows at the excavation isn't very informative. The ranger conducting the tour explains the various parts and pieces of the find, how they interpreted the events that brought about the deaths of these giant creatures, and answers any questions visitors might have. There also informative displays inside the enclosure.

Dr. Camp's illustration of an Icthyosaur skeleton.

As with any state park, you cannot pick up and keep any rocks or fossils that you find within the park boundary. However, if you are interested in collecting the rangers will be happy to direct you up Union canyon where just past the clearly marked park boundary you are free to explore and collect fossils and mineral samples.