Ichthyosaurs-The Dolphins of the Mesozoic

Berlin Ichthyosaur State Park is composed of two parks in one. One section, the old mining town of Berlin is historic and a great way to view some of human history. The ichthyosaur section is a Registered Natural Landmark, and where one of the biggest ichthyosaur discoveries was ever made.

No one is quite sure of the entire story, it's difficult to discern clues from ages-old fossils, but the story of what might have happened to cause the ichthyosaurs to be at Berlin-Ichthyosaur State Park is:

Millions and millions of years ago, the west coast of what is now the United States was not where it is today. It was in the middle of Nevada, so the sea lapped over all of what is now California, and quite a bit of Nevada. These seas were rich in life, much as our seas are today. There were fish and predators and lots of small creatures. One of the predators of the time was the ichthyosaur, filling the niche that is now occupied by the whales and dolphins. They cruised the seas, looking for food, and possibly migrating as whales do today. There was a group of composed of 37 individuals of the largest type of ichthyosaur known to us, the Shonisaurus popularis. They came into the sea above what is now Nevada, why we don't know. Could they have been following food? Coming in the birth their young? On a migration route? We don't know, but for some reason, they were there.

This group of Shonisaurus came to a sudden demise though. All of a sudden, they died and were buried, likely by an underwater landslide dropping tons of dirt upon them in a rapid burial of a massive degree. The Shonisaurus bodies buried under the pile were all overlapped, one carcass lying atop another. As time passed, more dirt built up over top of the Shonisaurus, and their bodies were fossilized. Millions of years later, the seas receded, the land rose, mountains formed, and eventually the coast came to be where it is now. Somewhere along the line, the burial location of the Shonisaurus was became home to numerous small faults and the covering landscape started to be eroded away.

In 1928, Dr. Siemon Muller, discovered, in an exposed portion, the first fossils of what we now call Shonisaurus popularis. Berlin-Ichthyosaur State Park is quite in the boonies today, imagine it over eighty years ago. Excavations finally commenced in 1954 with Dr. Charles Camp directing them. Over 40 ichthyosaurs have been discovered in the area since.

For more information about Shonisaurus popularis at Berlin-Ichthyosaur State Park, check out this site: The Oceans of Kansas

If you want to visit the Berlin-Ichthyosaur State Park you want to plan ahead. It is located pretty much in the middle of nowhere, and while it is open year-around, extreme winter weather can prohibit travel. It is Nevada, so it can be dry and hot during the summer, though since the park is at 7,000' elevation, the temperature remains more moderate than most of Nevada, only reaching 90 degrees or so normally. Visiting the area in the fall or springtime is usually very nice and pleasant.

Many of the ichthyosaur fossils are housed on site, in situ, in the fossil house, tours are limited to the mid-spring, summer, and early-fall, so if you want to see the fossils, you have to come at the right time. The tour schedule varies, so contact the park to know when you should go, by calling (775) 964-2440. Also visiting Berlin-Ichthyosaur State Park website will give you more information.