PALEONTOLOGY AT SCOTTS BLUFF NATIONAL MONUMENT: A RECENT PALEONTOLOGICAL SURVEY OF THE ORELLAN WHITE RIVER BEDS

Scotts Bluff National Monument, a 3003-acre unit of the National Park System, is located in the far western portion of the Nebraska panhandle. Scotts Bluff, comprised of claystone and siltstone of the Brule and Gering Formations, rises 800 feet above the North Platte River and was an important landmark along the historic Oregon, California, Mormon Pioneer, and Pony Express trails.

The badlands along the North Platte River in what is now Scotts Bluff National Monument are best known as an obstacle to westward migration that caused travelers on the Oregon and California Trails to depart from the river near Scotts Bluff. The Scotts Bluff badlands also contain abundant fossil resources. The lower two-thirds of the bluff is composed of ash and silt-rich claystones of the Orella Member of the Brule Formation, White River Group (33 to 30 Ma).

A recent survey of the lowest units of the Orella Member revealed many significant fossils, including multiple tortoises (Stylemys), oredonts (Merycoidodon), “mouse deer” (Leptomeryx), and fossil mammal burrows. Evidence of illegal fossil collecting activity was also discovered and documented. The staff at Scotts Bluff National Monument is currently addressing the fossil resource management and law enforcement issues that have resulted from this survey.