GC1PTH0 Ammonite City
Type: Earth | Size: Other | Difficulty: | Terrain:
By: Me & Bucky @ | Hide Date: 04/10/2009 | Status: Available
Country: United States | State: Colorado
Coordinates: N38° 50.446 W104° 52.614 | Last updated: 08/30/2019 | Fav points: 0

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This EarthCache is located in Red Rock Canyon Open Space, one of the newer parklands of the City of Colorado Springs. Parking is off of U.S. 24 or 31st Street. The Hogback Valley Trail or Red Rock Rim and Lion Trails will take you close to this site. Please DO NOT create social trails or bushwack in order to get to this location! Go to the south end of the Hogback Valley Trail and there is a northward leading trail at the contact of the Ft. Hays Limestone/Codell Sandstone layers which will lead you to this site. Upon arrival, you will note that there are several in situ examples of fossil ammonites. You will want to bring water for your hike, and a ruler or other measuring device. Also, please remember that fossils in the Red Rock Canyon Open Space are protected and that collecting is not allowed!

Ammonites are cephalopods (cephalopod meaning “head-foot”), and are related to the modern octopus, squid, and nautilus. They are fairly common in the fossil record, and were around in one form or another from about 400 million years ago until the end of the Cretaceous Period, about 65 million years ago. Because of their ubiquity, they are used to fine-tune the age of rock strata and are utilized to increase the accuracy of corresponding geological maps.

The ammonites at this location are found in Codell Sandstone, which was laid down about 90-92 million years ago in the Cretaceous Period. Codell Sandstone represents a coastal deposit formed from sandbars, barrier islands, and marine shelf sands in the Western Interior Sea.

At this site, and in the immediate area to the north, you will see the remains of several fossil ammonites in the east-facing wall of Codell Sandstone.


To log this EarthCache, send me an email with the answers to the following questions:

1. How many ammonites do you see at this site?

2. What is the diameter of the largest one?


Please consider posting photos of yourself, or the local geology, when you log this EarthCache. Photos can be an additional rewarding part of your journey, but posting them is not a requirement for logging this EarthCache, and is strictly optional.


The above information was compiled from the following sources:

2002. Blake, D.B., and B.S. Kues. Homeomorphy in the asteroidean (Echinodermata); a new late Cretaceous genus and species from Colorado. Journal of Paleontology, Nov. 2002. Online at: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3790/is_200211/ai_n9165239/


2003. Varriale, F.J. Improving the Accuracy of Geologic Maps Through the Use of Ammonite Biostratigraphy. Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, Vol. 35, No. 6, September 2003. Online at: http://gsa.confex.com/gsa/2003AM/finalprogram/abstract_66074.htm

Colorado Springs City Webpage: Red Rock Canyon Open Space: http://www.springsgov.com/page.asp?NavID=4069

Geologic Map of the Red Rock Canyon Area: http://www.redrockcanyonopenspace.org/page10a.html



Thanks to the City of Colorado Springs and the Parks, Recreation & Cultural Services Department for allowing placement of this EarthCache!

06/19/2019 By Kerewin0430
Beautiful evening to be out in Red Rocks.
Would have missed these if you hadn't pointed them out! Thanks for placing this earthcache!

04/23/2019 By RfloydIV
Here from KY visiting my daughter and finding some caches. Out for an early morning hike in a good place for it. Thanks for making it more fun!
Great fossils! Thanks for bringing me here. Answers sent.

12/18/2018 By wettam
I really enjoyed the fossils at this cache. Thanks for showing this place to me and for the cache.

10/13/2018 By gampa&gamma
After the recent rainy weather, we were looking forward to looking for some earthcaches on International EarthCache Day 2018. We enjoyed the hike and what we learned. Answers have been emailed to the CO. Thanks for the interesting earthcache.

05/07/2018 By EasternGirls
Found with Irid3sc3nt on our birthday weekend adventure. No idea this place existed. Thanks for bringing us here. Irid3sc3nt is sending in answers

05/06/2018 By irid3sc3nt
Found with EasternGirls. Took the long way around on the flat steady path. The CO must have had great eyes to spot this location! It was getting dark, though, so that was a factor. The sun setting was so gradual I felt like I was going blind. Some big bugs kept trying to fly into my hair. Afterwards we went back to the hotel, had some showers, and ate delicious cake from The Dive.

03/30/2018 By kenyansherpa
I took a walkabout in the park this afternoon and hunted some caches. It was nice to find a couple of interesting and educational earthcaches as well! Thanks to Me & Bucky for creating this earth cache, highlighting the marine fossils in the area! I have sent in my answers.

10/11/2017 By pH 7.0
Enjoyed a great day walking through the park and getting several caches. I'll add some pictures when I get home. Answers on the way.

09/10/2017 By Kfisch719
Found it!