The Ohio State Park in Indiana contains 386-million year old exposed fossils beds, which are among the largest of their kind.
What ten-year old has not dreamed of being an archaeologist? And, why not...fossils fascinate us all.
It may seem hard to believe, but an ocean and coral reef existed in Indiana some 350 millions years ago and we have evidence, amazing evidence! The Falls of the Ohio State Park, in Clarksville, Indiana, is undisputed proof. Nowhere else in the world does such a vast, exposed fossil reef of the period exist. This ancient ocean floor contains visible remains of a wide variety of undersea creatures that lived out their life and died there.
The entire coral reef as we find it today, stretches from Louisville in the south, all the way to Indianapolis. The ocean originally existed far to the south, but the shifting of the earth's tectonic plates moved what is presently Indiana north, to its current location. The fossilized coral reef lies exposed only at the Falls of the Ohio and a few limestone quarries around Indiana. The name "Falls" is a bit misleading. The Falls are actually cascading rapids, which gradually drop twenty-six feet over a two-mile stretch.
Famous wildlife artist John James Audubon was an early visitor to the Falls, sketching more than 200 birds of the region.
Other early explorers found this area to be the only navigational barrier on the entire Ohio River. Mark Twain recorded, "we reached Louisville-at least the neighborhood of it. We stuck hard and fast on the rocks in the middle of the river, and lay there four days."
An air of excitement pervades the atmosphere at the Falls. Scientists have identified more than 600 Devonian fossil species there, two-thirds of them "type" specimens or species discovered and recorded there for the first time anywhere in the world. Originally the Falls contained 550 acres of exposed fossil beds, thanks to the eroding action of the Ohio river. The phenomenon is so impressive, scientists, geologists and paleontologists from around the globe have traveled to Indiana to study them.
It's a good idea to stop first at the Interpretative Center. The center is part nature center, part educational facility and part museum. Opened to the public in 1994, the center is perched atop a bluff overlooking the fossil beds. The structure mimics the geological formation it was built to interpret, with horizontal bands of limestone and colored masonry brick. Muted, earth-tone colors allow the building to blend in naturally with the surrounding environment. The interpretive center tells the story of the Falls of the Ohio, using multi-media and exhibits.
A full size mammoth skeleton fills the lobby, while a giant, 18-foot Devonian fish "swims" overhead. Start with the fifteen minute orientation video, presented in the auditorium. Viewing the video allows the audience to travel under the ocean surface to view the corals and animals interacting with the currents of the sea, as they would have done some 400 million years ago.
Other popular activities in the park include hiking, picnicking, bird watching, and fishing.
If you're into birds, biologists have recorded 265 species of birds within the park boundaries. Large numbers of herons, osprey, egrets, migratory waterfowl, and peregrine falcons have been sighted. Occasionally, bald eagles visit to feed on the fish and algae which collect in the shallow pools.
For the past several years, the Falls and the Clarksville Riverfront Foundation have hosted the Falls Fossil Festival. Held in late September, vendors sell fossils, minerals, rocks, and books. Also offered are continuous special programs, information booths, naturalist-led hikes on the fossil beds, workshops, and displays. In past years, fossil collecting was possible, thanks to a local quarry which donated the Devonian-era rock.
Millions of years in the making, the Falls of the Ohio is worth a look. The months of August through October offer the best accessibility to the 220 acres of fossil beds, as the river is at its lowest level during that time. Fossil collecting is prohibited and there is a gift shop on the premises.
The park is open daily, from dawn to dusk and the interpretive center is open Monday through Saturday from 9:00 to 5:00 and Sunday from 1:00 to 5:00. Clarksville lies just across the river from Louisville, Kentucky.
