THE HELL CREEK FORMATION

The Late Cretaceous (66-67 mya) Hell Creek Formation is a very extensive rock unit that covers large areas of South Dakota, North Dakota, and Montana. This unit extends southward into Wyoming where it is called the Lance Formation. It also crosses the Canadian border Northward, where they call it the Frenchman Formation. It represents a warm sub-tropical coastline with lowland forests, swamps, rivers, ox-bow lakes and estuaries. Over 24 different kinds of dinosaurs and over 50 different kinds of other vertebrates called this area home. These were some of the last dinosaurs to grace the planet before an asteroid slammed into the Earth, wiping out over 65% of all life on the surface.

The DHCM houses one of the largest privately held collections of original, vertebrate fossils from this unit, in the United States. Most are from multi-taxic bone beds from western South Dakota, Montana and Wyoming, but others are from partial skeletons. Some of the specimens are one of a kind. Many are currently under study. Some of these are available for research from qualified applicants.