Paleontology in California State Parks George T. Jefferson
Associate State Archaeologist Brian W. Cahill Park Interpretive
Specialist When most visitors think of Anza-Borrego Desert State
Park, located in Southern California's Colorado Desert, they
usually envision wild flowers, bighorn sheep, or vast arid
landscapes framed by rugged mountains. Few realize that the
eroded badlands of Anza-Borrego provide a contrasting view, a
window into the region's vanished past. The Park was not always
the arid desert we experience today. The key to understanding
this prehistoric scene is paleontology, the study of the
fossilized remains of ancient life. And, Anza-Borrego has an
exceptional fossil record. Over 500 different types of organisms
have been identified, ranging from microscopic plant pollen and
spores to the largest of mammoth elephants. Not only are the
bones and teeth of long extinct animals preserved, but in some
places, also their tracks. The Salton Trough, a geographically
active rift valley, which bounds t