Agate Fossil Beds
Agate Fossil Beds National Monument
Nebraska
Produced by the
Division of Publications
Harpers Ferry Center
National Park Service
U.S. Department of the Interior
Washington, D.C.
The National Park Handbook Series
National Park Handbooks, compact introductions to the great natural and
historic places administered by the National Park Service, are designed
to promote understanding and enjoyment of the parks. Each is intended to
be informative reading and a useful guide before, during, and after a
park visit. More than 100 titles are in print. This is Handbook 107. You
may purchase the handbooks through the mail by writing to Superintendent
of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington DC 20402.
About This Book
What was life like in North America 20 million years ago? Agate Fossil
Beds provides a glimpse of that time, long before the arrival of man,
when now-extinct creatures roamed the land which we know today as
Nebraska. Part 1 of this handbook introduces you to the park; Part 2
brings life to the fossil specimens and examines the area’s geological
and ecological evidence; and Part 3 presents concise guide and reference
information.
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
United States. National Park Service.
Agate Fossil Beds National Monument, Nebraska.
(National park handbook; 107) Bibliography: p.
Includes index.
Supt. of Docs. no. I29.9/5:107
1. Vertebrates, Fossil.
2. Paleontology—Miocene.
3. Paleontology—Nebraska—Agate Fossil Beds National Monument.
4. Natural history—Nebraska—Agate Fossil Beds National Monument.
5. Agate Fossil Beds National Monument, Neb.
I. Title.
II. Series: United States. National Park Service. Handbook—National
Park Service; 107.
QE841.U59 1980 566′.09782′99 80-607119
Contents
Part 1 Welcome to Agate Fossil Beds 4
Worlds of Past and Present 7