When you’re feeling dusty, landlocked and dehydrated, why not pack up the old vehicle for a weekend outing to the local coral reef? It’s true, quality marine time is hard to come by in these parts, but with a bit of imagination, one can be transported a hundred million years back into the mid-Cretaceous, splash landing into the Western Interior Seaway. This shallow inland sea flooded our continent’s central lowlands from the Arctic Ocean clear to the Gulf of Mexico. Rich as it was in marine life, extraordinary traces of its existence can be found within the beds of sedimentary rock, particularly here on the Colorado Plateau. Limestone formations are a great place to discover remarkably preserved fossils from this once thriving aquatic ecosystem. Here’s a look:

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  Day in the Life

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  Day in the Life

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  Day in the Life

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  Day in the Life

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  Day in the Life