Berlin–Ichthyosaur State Park

Shonisaurus display in life size

F6

The Berlin- Ichthyosaur State Park is a State Park in Nye County, Nevada. The existing since 1957 State Park is located about 35 km east of Gabbs at the Nevada State Route 844 in an offshoot of the Shoshone Mountains and covers an area of 6.23 km ².

Thematically, the park is divided into two parts. In the field, both the largest deposit of fossil ichthyosaurs ( " fish dinosaurs " ) in North America as well as the historic mining town and current ghost town of Berlin. The ichthyosaur archaeological site was also registered in May 1973 as a National Natural Landmark.

Ghost town of Berlin and former Diana Gold Mine

Main article: Berlin Historic District

The first mining activities in the area were observed as early as May 1863, when a small group of prospectors discovered silver in Union Canyon and a small camp built. The following year the Union Mining District was established with the settlements Union, Ione, Grantsville, and later Berlin. The first mining report from the Berlin Canyon was in 1869 before, but it was not until 1896 until the mine running properly. The official founding of Berlin was 1897. By 1905, up to 300 residents had gathered. In 1907, a miners' strike for higher wages to the bankruptcy of The Atlantic and Pacific Mining Company and the workers migrated in subsequent years. In 1911, the town was dissolved. In state park still largely preserved 13 buildings and various machine parts are available.

Ichthyosaur archaeological site

Already in 1928 were made on the grounds of Siemon Muller first discoveries of these marine reptiles of the Upper Triassic, which were already partially exposed by natural erosion. 1953 - 1957 took place under the leadership of Charles Lewis Camp and Samuel Paul Welles held extensive scientific excavations of the University of California, led their results in the same year 1957 the official designation as a state park. With the " Ichthyosaur Fossil Shelter" there's a covered archaeological site with exposed ichthyosaurs. Underneath is the largest specimen found so far in the USA. Under the name Shonisaurus popularis, named after the Shoshone Mountains, the dinosaurs were included in the literature and have been appointed to the State Fossil of Nevada in 1977. The Shonisaurier reached dimensions of 15 meters in length and 40 tons in weight. One of the big pieces is on display at Nevada State Museum and Historical Society in Las Vegas. How did it come to such an accumulation of 37 copies at a location has not yet been finally resolved. 7 skeletons are almost parallel to each other. Like it is known only from stranded whales.

Flora and Fauna

The landscape of the state parks is in the plane of the Big Sagebrush, a Beifußart, dominates, while at higher altitudes are associated junipers and pinyon pines. Mule deer, donkeys hare, cottontail rabbit, blue -throated Bluebird, Nacktschnabelhäher, chukar, rail Cnemidophorus lizards like uniparens and the Western fence Iguana, and rattlesnakes and the snake Pituophis catenifer include the species composition of the park.