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Red Rock Canyon Field Trip

Upcoming Field Trip:

Next field trip will be October 15, 2010 to October 17, 2010

  • Limited to 60 Participants
  • Registration begins August 16, 2010
  • To be placed on our notification list please email educate@nhm.org.

 

For information and to register call (213) 763-ED4U (3348) or e-mail educate@nhm.org.

 

Have you ever wondered..

What did Southern California look like 12 million years ago?

What animals lived in the area and why did some of them become extinct?

Paleontologists at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, along with help from the public, are piecing together this puzzle by studying the rich vertebrate fossils and unique geology of the Western Mojave Desert.

For over 12 years, the Museum has sponsored family-oriented paleontology trips to Red Rock Canyon State Park, two hours north of Los Angeles. Led by Museum scientists and educators, these trips offer hands-on experience searching for, collecting, and studying fossils in the field.

Trip participants in the past have made invaluable contributions to the science of paleontology, including rare specimens never recorded before. You don’t have to be a trained paleontologist to be able to contribute. With a bit of persistence and a dash of luck, anyone can make the next big discovery. It’s a matter of being at the right place at the right time. You learn the entire process of searching for fossils, plaster jacketing, and field recording. The educational programs for children include fossil casting, field identification, and nature hikes.


News

Camping with Ice Age Beasts an article from the OC Register
View PDF > 

See an article on our new fossil skunk by Kristin Friedrich
View PDF >

Preparation of a Gomphothere tusk collected on our 2006 trip
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See a most recent publication on the Red Rock Canyon biostratigraphy by Dr. Dave and colleagues (contributions by RRC trip members are gratefully acknowledged)
View PDF >

Our new discovery about the false sabertooth (Barbourofelis) is now published
View PDF >