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John Day Fossil Beds National Monument
By: Gray Gorbatoff
History
• John Day Fossil Beds National Monument is a U.S. National Monument in
east-central Oregon. Located in the John Day River basin and managed by
the National Park Service, the park is known for its well-preserved layers
of fossil plants and mammals that lived in the region between the late
Eocene, about 45 million years ago, and the late Miocene, about 5 million
years ago.
• Before the Euro-Americans came in the 19th century, the John Day basin
was visited by Sahaptin people who hunted, fished, and gathered roots
and berries in the region. After road-building made the valley easier to get
to, settlers made farms, ranches, and a few small towns along the river
and its tributaries. Paleontologists have been unearthing and studying the
fossils in the region since 1864, when Thomas Condon, a missionary and
amateur geologist, recognized their importance and made them known
globally. Parts of the basin became a National Monument in 1975.
• The monument consists of three units: Sheep Rock, Painted Hills, and
Clarno. The units cover a total of 13,944 acres of semi-desert shrublands,
riparian zones, and colorful badlands.
John Day Fossil
Beds National
Monument
United States of America
Units (in green)
of the John Day
Fossil Beds
National
Monument
Painted
Hills
Unit
Bridge
Creek
Bear Creek
Road
John Day River
Sheep
Rock
Unit
Clarno
Unit
Pine
Creek
Special Landforms and Features in the Park
• The Painted Hills Unit is known for its various colors of red, orange,
black and tan found in the exposed volcanic layers. This area is also
home to a wide range of leaf fossils from a temperate forest.
• The Clarno Unit features a cliff formed by a series ancient volcanic
mudflows that now is high above the surrounding landscape.
Glimpses of fossilized plants from millions of years ago can also be
seen from the Trail of Fossils.
• The Sheep Rock Unit was named after Sheep Rock peak which
towers 1,100 feet above John Day River valley. The exposed green
claystone layers seen in this area continue to expose new
vertebrate fossils from 30 million years ago through natural erosion.
Environmental Issues Affecting the Park
Water Quality
• Upstream uses of the John Day River by communities and ranching
operations are impacting the river flow levels and water quality in
the park.
Non-Native Species
• Settlement by non-native people has resulted in the introduction of
non-native species of plants.
• These non-native species have grown rapidly in the park, displacing
native vegetation.
Environmental Issues Affecting the Park
Fire Suppression
• Prior to the 1900’s, the park experienced fires every 5 to 15 years.
While this resulted in injury to wildlife and destroyed habitats, it
also contributed to diverse animal and plant communities.
• Since the 1900’s, fire suppression has been the standard for the
region, with only a limited number of fires affecting the park.
• One result of this fire suppression has been a large increase in the
number of juniper trees found on the landscape, which has resulted
in a large decrease in grasses and shrubs and the wildlife that use
these types of habitats.
What Type of Rocks Can Be Found at the Park?
• Igneous (for example, basalt),
sedimentary and metamorphic
rocks can all be found at John Day
Fossil Beds.
• The picture to the right shows the
rock layers which form the
Rattlesnake Formation located in
the Sheep Rock Unit.
• The Rattlesnake Formation is typical
of rock formations in all of the John
Day Fossil Bed units.
How is Technology Used to Help
Preserve and Maintain the Park?
• Weed Treatments. The John Day River is a natural conduit for nonnative weeds from upstream communities to find their way into the
park. Park staff closely monitor the weed population and treat
them to make sure the weeds don’t overtake and replace the native
plants.
• Controlled Fires. The National Park Service burns controlled
fires as a tool to reduce juniper numbers, to increase the
regrowth of disappearing brush and grass stands, and to
protect the wildlife species that use these habitats from large
scale and extremely dangerous wildfires.
How is Technology Used to Help
Preserve and Maintain the Park?
• Mercury Monitoring. The National Park Service measures mercury
levels in samples of water and dragonfly larvae taken from the John
Day River to monitor the levels of mercury in the park and its
possible risk to the park ecosystem. Understanding the levels of
mercury in dragonfly larvae is important because dragonflies are a
main food source for some fish. Fish are then eaten by birds and
mammals (including humans).
• Sound Monitoring. The National Park Service also measures the
sound levels in the park to better understand the impact of sound
on the health of the park ecosystem and the visitor experience..
How Was The Park Formed?
• From 118 to 93 million years ago, tectonic plates in Oregon were
shifting, carrying large blocks of rock formed from the Permian
(300 – 250 Mya), Triassic (250 – 200 Mya), and Jurassic (200 – 0.6
Mya) periods with them. The John Day Fossil Beds National
Monument is located in one of the areas where these rocks ended
up accumulating.
• Subsequent volcanic eruptions deposited layers of lava, ash, shale,
siltstone, basalt and other debris on top of these older rocks,
entombing plants and animals caught in their path.
• Over time, these layers were cemented together by silica.
• Erosion from water and wind over millions of years have exposed
these layers, forming the present day rock formations in the park.
How is the Land Inside the Park
Currently Changing?
• As discussed in the section entitled “Environment Issues Affecting
the Park,”
– upstream uses of the John Day River by communities and
ranching operations are impacting the river flow levels and
water quality in the park;
– settlement by non-native people has resulted in the
introduction of non-native species of plants, displacing native
vegetation; and
– fire suppression has resulting in a large increase in the number
of juniper trees found on the landscape.
How is the Land Inside the Park
Currently Changing?
• In addition, wind and water from rainfall and the John Day River
and its tributaries continue to erode the rock formations in the
park.
• Slope movement is also affecting the land in the park. Slope
movement is the movement of soil and rock down a slope under
the influence of gravity. Landslides and avalanches are common
types of slope movement.
Bibliography [DRAFT]
• http://www.nps.gov/joda/index.htm
• http://www2.nature.nps.gov/geology/inventory/publications/reports/joda
_gri_rpt_body_print.pdf
• http://www.nps.gov/joda/learn/nature/research.htm
• https://www.trails.com/topo.aspx?lat=44.55&lon=119.63333&s=50&name=John Day Fossil Beds National Monument
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Day_Fossil_Beds_National_Monument