This fossil palm frond is on display in the Visitor Center. The existence of palm fossils in the Green River Formation shows that when the sediments were deposited in this portion of the Green River Basin in Eocene time that the climate was subtropical and probably close to sea level in elevation. This is in contrast to the high elevations in the park today. The high point at the north end of the park is 8,084 feet whereas the lowest elevation near Fossil at the park's southern boundary is 6,629 feet. |