Uncovering the Ancient Life Beneath Del Puerto Canyon

California’s First Dinosaur Discovery
Saurolophus: A Lost Giant

In 1936, remains of a hadrosaur (possibly Saurolophus) were discovered just north of Del Puerto Canyon—marking California’s first official dinosaur fossil. Though debated, the find opened the door to deeper study of the region’s Mesozoic life.

Marine Reptiles of an Ancient Ocean
Mosasaurs, Plesiosaurs & Ichthyosaurs

Long before the canyon existed, this region was part of an ancient seafloor. Fossils of marine reptiles like mosasaurs and plesiosaurs, once buried deep in the Great Valley sequence, reveal a time when predators swam through warm Cretaceous seas.

Ammonites & Ocean Floor Fossils
Time Capsules in Stone

Coiled ammonites and bivalves embedded in sedimentary rock layers help geologists date the uplift and folding of canyon strata. These fossils tell a story of shifting sea levels, mass extinctions, and plate tectonics.

The Great Valley Group
A Living Record of Subduction

The Franciscan Complex and Great Valley Group are exposed in Del Puerto Canyon, fossil-rich sediment layers deposited along the edge of an ancient tectonic plate. These layers bear the memory of life from 65 to 100 million years ago.