HISTORY ON THE ROCKS

Nebraska's Geologic History

Compiled by Tracy Frank, Jesse Koch, Jessica Pritchard, and Zi Gui

Click on the time intervals below to learn
more about environments, climate,
and life during Nebraska's past

CENOZOIC ERA
(0 to 65 million years ago)

MESOZOIC ERA (Cretaceous Period)
(65 to 251 million years ago)

PALEOZOIC ERA
(251 to 542 million years ago)

PROTEROZOIC EON
(542 to 2500 million years ago)

Geologic map of Nebraska. The oldest rocks (grey and blue), of late Paleozoic age, are exposed in the southeastern corner of the state. These are overlain by rocks deposited during the Mesozoic Era, depicted in green. Cenozoic strata (yellow and tan) cover most of the western two-thirds of the state. Older rocks that date back to the Proterozoic Eon occur in the subsurface. (Map copyright 2004 by Andrew Alden, reproduced under educational fair use. See also , geology.about.com)

Other Nebraska geology links

Agate Fossil Beds National Monument

Ashfall Fossil Beds State Historical Park

Nebraska Fossils (UN State Museum)

Nebraska Sand Hills

Scotts Bluff National Monument

Trailside Museum of Natural History

Career links

Careers in the Geosciences

Study Geology at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln