Hell Creek Formation
About 65 million years ago, the inland sea receded as the Rocky
Mountains rose, pushing the shoreline further east. Great rivers
meandered through the coastal plain in a warm and humid climate,
depositing sediment which would later become known as the Hell
Creek Formation. The tan sandstones, siltstones, and mudstones are
common throughout eastern Montana, but can be best seen in road
cuts along the highway, the Charles M. Russell Wildlife Refuge, and
in Makoshika State Park. Dinosaur
fossils are frequently found in the Hell Creek
Formation.
The boundary between late Cretaceous Hell Creek Formation and the
more recent Tertiary Fort Union Formation provides evidence that a
gigantic meteorite or asteroid struck the Earth about 65 million
years ago. But it is not known if the event caused the extinction
of the dinosaurs or just hastened their journey to oblivion.
Fossils excavated and studied in Montana from the Hell Creek
Formation have added immeasurably to our knowledge about the
dinosaurs and their lives.
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In order to log this cache you post a picture of yourself(s) at the
coordinates with your log.
Any finds posted without photo(s) will be deleted.
Also email us the answers to the following questions, DO NOT POST
THEM IN YOUR LOG or your log will be deleted.
Answer the following questions:
Most of eastern Montana was underwater during what
period?
How many years ago was that?
Name 3 of the types of dinosaur fossils that have been found in the
Hell Creek Formation?