Clarkia fossil beds

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The Clarkia fossil beds (also known locally as the Fossil Bowl), is a Miocene lagerstätte located near Clarkia, Idaho.

The fossil beds were laid down in a lake roughly 15 million years ago, when a drainage basin was dammed by the flood basalts of the Columbia River Plateau.[1] Narrow and deep, the lake's cold, anoxic water and rapid sedimentation created perfect fossil conditions.[2] Furthermore, the basin itself has remained tectonically stable, with little deformation since then.[3] The fossils indicate that the region's climate was much warmer and wetter than today's, and similar to that of southern Florida.[4],[5]

Though a number of animal species have been found, the site is best known for its fossil leaves. Their preservation is exquisite; fresh leaves are not only unfossilized, but sometimes retain their fall colors before rapidly oxidizing in air.[6] Indeed, scientists have managed to isolate small amounts of DNA from certain specimens.[7] Not surprisingly, the good condition of the fossils has prompted them to be used as evidence by young Earth creationists.[8]