Wyoming’s newest national monument, Fossil Butte, was established as a national monument by public law on October 23, 1972. It is administered and protected by the National Park Service. Some fossils found near the monument may be seen in Kemmerer.
Fossil Butte National Monument The monument contains 8,198 acres and protects a portion of the largest deposit of freshwater fish fossils in the world. The richest fossil fish deposits are found in limestone layers, about three feet thick, which lie some 100 feet below the top of the butte. The fossils represent several varieties of perch, as well as other freshwater genera and herring similar to those in modern oceans. A large, deep-bodied fish with many curious plates is common. Other fish types such as paddlefish, garpike and stingray are also present.
Situated about 10 miles west of Kemmerer, Fossil Butte is a ruggedly impressive topographic feature which rises sharply some 1,000 feet above Twin Creek Valley to an elevation of more than 7,500 feet above sea level. The butte is located just north of U.S. 30N and the Union Pacific Railroad, which traverse the valley. At the base of Fossil Butte are the bright red, purple, yellow and gray beds of the Wasatch Formation. Eroded portions of these horizontal beds slope gradually upward from the valley floor and steepen abruptly. Overlying them and extending to the top of the butte are the much steeper buff-to-white beds of the Green River Formation, which are about 300 feet thick.
Visitors can explore the area on two hiking trails or learn more about Fossil Butte at the Visitors Center, where more than 75 fossils are on display, including a 13-foot crocodile, the oldest known bat and a mass mortality of 356 fish.
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