Marble Mountains Trilobite Quarry

Please note that this photograph was taken long before the marble mountains became part of a national monument.

Marble mountains trilobite quarry.

Trilobites were small marine crustaceans that resembled modern day. One of the classic cambrian trilobite fossil sites in the western u s. Watch this video for more. It s over 500 million years old.

The marble mountains are a rather small mountain range located in one of the harshest driest parts of the mojave desert in southeastern california near the tiny towns of chambless and cadiz. January is a great month to explore the marble mountains. Geology of the area. We left highway 40 at ludlow and drove the old national trails highway route 66 through amboy to chambless.

Our plan was to explore them on saturday camp there then meet the yucaipa valley gem and mineral society for a trilobite fossil hunt on sunday. Trilobites were small marine crustaceans that resemble modern day horseshoe crabs. The marble mountain fossil beds lie in a beautiful shale formation that is 60 feet thick and over 550 million years old. I found my first trilobite.

What makes the marble mountains especially attractive to paleontologists is the comparatively rich cambrian fossil biota which can be found in a. The trilobite specimens were easily spotted in the shales and because they were so exceptionally abundant everyone was almost certain to take home a memorable find. The mountains contain a rich outcropping of the latham shale known for its diversity of lower cambrian fossils. I know how to get to the dirt access road out of cadiz but i was wondering about the condition of the road to the site and also whether anyone has had much luck there in the recent past.

The cadiz trilobite quarry also called the marble mountain rock collecting area is a small area with outcrops of fossil bearing shale southeast of the ghost town of cadiz trilobites here occur in the latham shale a greenish to brownish shale dating from the lower cambrian about 518 mya. Is located at this beautiful outcrop in a 60 foot thick formation over 550 million years old. The fossils are approximately 518 million years old. Anyone been to the marble mountains in southern california recently to search for trilobites.

Join us for the fossil hunting trip in desert mountains. Marble mountain fossil bed contains one of the classic cambrian trilobite fossil sites within the western united states. The latham shale borders the cadiz and chambless formations both named after the small towns nearby. However the land has become part of a nationally.

Here is the posting from the california bureau of land management website please visit the website for rules on collecting.