Miocene Ironwood Plant Fossil

Description: Central Nevada has a host of Miocene fossil leaf sites. The leaves from this one are preserved in paper shales and exhibit the best plant preservation I have ever encountered. Some of these shales are incredibly fragile, nearly as thin as a sheet of paper.

The state once had a much wetter and more temperate climate back in the Miocene. There were many more lakes in what is now the driest state in the USA. The Sierra uplift dramatically changed the climate and rainfall in the state.