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I-70 roadcut
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In the Morrison Formation
at Dinosaur Ridge, west of Denver, dinosaur bones are preserved in channel
sandstone layers and dinosaur footprints can be seen in cross section. It’s
easy to recognize this formation because of its colors: purple and greenish
mudstone layers interspersed with a few inter-bedded river sandstone and
limey pond deposits. The characteristic colors and sedimentary rocks of
the Morrison Formation are recognizable over a very large area of Wyoming,
Colorado, and Utah, where many significant dinosaur bone quarries can be
found, including Dinosaur National Monument (Utah), Como Bluff (Wyoming),
and Cañon City (Colorado). The 320-foot-thick formation is named
after the town of Morrison. Work on the west-facing slopes of the Dakota
Hogback along with construction of Alameda Parkway and the I-70 roadcut
has revealed complete and continuous exposures of this rock unit for study.
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