dinosaur image

Where are the dinosaurs??

Unfortunately there is a significant gap in Maine's fossil record from approximately 360 million years ago to about 1 million years ago (see geologic time scale below). This gap is most likely the result of episodes of mountain-building and erosion which removed the rocks formed during this time period. Most recently, continental glaciers scoured the landscape, removing more sediment and rock. While this erosion was helpful in exposing the older, Paleozoic rocks, it completely removed all of the Mesozoic material and a large portion of the Cenozoic record. So, while it is quite likely that dinosaurs inhabited the area that became Maine, their remains will probably never be found here.



Blue boxes indicate time periods for which Maine has a fossil record.
Fossils from the Holocene and Pleistocene are preserved in sediments.
Fossils from the Cambrian through Devonian Periods are preserved in bedrock.


Geologic Time Scale

Era Period Age
(millions of years)

CENOZOIC     Holocene

0.01
Pleistocene

1.8
Tertiary

65
MESOZOIC     Cretaceous AGE

OF THE

DINOSAURS

146
Jurassic

208
Triassic

245
PALEOZOIC     Permian

286
Pennsylvanian

325
Missippian

360
Devonian

417
Silurian

440
Ordovician

505
Cambrian

545

More links to dinosaurs:

Dinosaur links from the University of California Museum of Paleontology


Last updated on September 19, 2013