Rocks and Geology Around Las Vegas
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The Oak Springs Trilobite Site consists of a small area where fossil-bearing shale outcrops on fairly level terrain along Highway 93 west of Caliente, Nevada. Trilobites here occur in the Combined Metals Member of the Pioche Formation, in tan and green shales dating from about 500-524 mya. Few specimens are intact, but it is easy to find legs and head shields from six species in the family Olenellidae. Link to online information or a PDF of the page. Access to the site is via a paved highway and a short, graded dirt road leading to a parking area. From there, a 1/4-mile foot trail leads west to the quarry site, but for people who can't walk, drive west past the parking area about 0.2 miles to the first right turn. A BLM sign-in register is located at the parking area and pamphlets are available to learn more about the history of the area and these creatures. There is also an interpretive sign and two picnic tables. Link to map or PDF (3.5 MB) of brochure (front side, back side). |
 Highway 93, highway sign (view E) |
 Highway 93 at Oak Springs access road (view NE) |
 Oak Springs access road (view N) |
 Oak Springs access road (view NW) |
 Oak Springs access road at cattle guard (view NW) |
 Oak Springs access road (view NW) |
 Oak Springs access road approaching parking area (view NW) |
 Parking area (view NW) |
 The road continues past the parking area (view W) |
 Oak Springs Trilobite Site trailhead sign (view W) |
 Picnic table with discarded fossils at trailhead |
 Information sign |
 Discarded fossils on table at trailhead |
 Discarded fossils on table at trailhead |
 Discarded fossils on table at trailhead |
 Discarded fossils on table at trailhead |
 Discarded fossils on table at trailhead |
 Foot trail to the quarry site (view W) |
 Foot trail to the quarry site (view W) |
 Foot trail, arriving at the quarry site (view W) |
 Quarry site with green shales (view NW) |
 Quarry site with green and reddish shales (view NW) |
 Oak Springs Trilobite specimen |
 Oak Springs Trilobite specimen |
 Oak Springs Trilobite specimen |
 Oak Springs Trilobite specimen |
 Oak Springs Trilobite specimen |
 Blue-green algae "oncolites"? |
Table 1. Highway and Hiking Coordinates based on GPS Data (NAD27). Download Highway GPS Waypoints (gpx) file.
| Site | Location | UTM Easting | UTM Northing | Latitude (N) | Longitude (W) | Elevation (ft) | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1551 | Hwy 93 at Oak Springs Trilobite Rd | 702381 | 4164748 | 37.60942 | 114.70723 | 5,865 | Yes |
| 1608 | Oak Springs Trailhead Parking | 702039 | 4165258 | 37.61408 | 114.71096 | 5,755 | Yes |
Table 2. Hiking Coordinates and Distances based on GPS Data (NAD27; UTM Zone 11S). Download Hiking GPS Waypoints (gpx) file.
| Wpt. | Location | UTM Easting | UTM Northing | Elevation (ft) | Point-to-Point Distance (mi) | Cumulative Distance (mi) | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Oak Springs Trailhead | 702037 | 4165259 | 5,763 | 0.00 | 0.00 | GPS |
| 02 | Oak Springs Trilobite Quarry | 701688 | 4165301 | 5,734 | 0.26 | 0.26 | GPS |
| 01 | Oak Springs Trailhead | 702037 | 4165259 | 5,763 | 0.26 | 0.52 | GPS |
Note: All distances, elevations, and other facts are approximate.
; Last updated 240331
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