Mamie Doud Eisenhower Public Library - Broomfield, CO - Paleontology and Fossils on Waymarking.com

There was no plaque about this series of fossils, but I recognize them as similar to the fossils found in Golden,Colorado, USA at Triceratops Ridge (visit link) . The library has an information sheet which is found at (visit link)

"The footprints on this slab were made by small bipedal (two-footed) dinosaurs about 67 million years ago. They were discovered on a large slab of rock in an inner-courtyard at the Sun Microsystems Campus in Broomfield's Interlocken business park. Once the significance of the slab was recognized, Sun Microsystems cut out the main track-bearing portion of the slab and donated it to the City of Broomfield for the Mamie Doud Eisenhower Public Library.

There are 23 tracks on this slab, but some show only one or two toes. The fifteen complete tracks are numbered on the accompanying drawing. There are at least three different track types on the slab. The rock also shows a number of large plant impressions, including some palm-type fronds and leaves of deciduous trees.

To determine which dinosaurs could have made the footprints, scientists looked at the structure of the dinosaur feet known from fossil skeletons. Many of these tracks appear to have been made by small theropod (mammal-footed) dinosaurs. These dinosaurs may have been ornithomimids (ostrich dinosaurs), which had a horny beak rather like birds. Tracks 2 and 15 are larger, but were also made by theropods. Tracks 6 and 8 have a longer middle toe and are more symmetrical, They were probably made by small ornithopod (bird-footed) dinosaurs. These herbivores (plant-eaters) had small leaf-shaped teeth and a beak at the front of their mouths.

The slab is thought to be from the Laramie Formation rock layer. This formation consists of alternating layers of sand and mud deposited on a low-lying meandering river floodplain. The dinosaurs were probably walking beside a river, perhaps on its banks, when the water level was low. The tracks made in the mud were baked hard by the sun. When the river level rose again, a layer of sand covered and preserved the tracks. The tracks are raised from the rock surface; they were preserved as natural casts. The visible surface is not what the animals walked on, but the sand layer that filled the indentations made by the animal's feet." (from (visit link) - this PDF has the map that is cited in the text)

The library's hours may be found at (visit link) .

What kinds of fossils are found here: Plants and tracks Admission Fee: no Link for more information about this site: Not listed

Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log   05/03/2016 WalkingDuo visited it