Just imagine! Clams, snails, crabs, sharks, and giant mosasaurs living in Tennessee! That would be the scene approximately 70 million years ago in what is now West Tennessee as the ancient Gulf of Mexico covered the land. How do we know? A visit to Coon Creek Science Center will help answer this question.

Within the grounds of Coon Creek Science Center, located in rural McNairy County, Tennessee, lies one of the most important fossil sites in North America. Acquired by the Memphis Museum System in 1988, this property contains a treasure lode of superbly preserved Upper Cretaceous marine shells and vertebrate remains left there 70 million years ago when the water of the Gulf of Mexico receded.

For more information check out these publications.

The Fossils of Coon Creek Part  1
The Fossils of Coon Creek Part  2

Coon Creek Fossil Plates Part 1
Coon Creek Fossil Plates Part 2
Coon Creek Fossil Plates Part 3
Coon Creek Fossil Plates Part 4
Coon Creek Fossil Plates Part 5

Written by Ron Brister and Roy Young of the Pink Palace Family of Museums.

Devonian Fossils of West Tennessee
Written by Kieran Davis