Fossils in Tour Caves

   Beginning in July of 2009, the Missouri Institute of Natural Science began to work with Bruce Herschend on a project aimed at determining the prevalence of fossils in tour caves.  The first digs were conducted in Talking Rocks Cavern near Branson, Missouri.  The digs were successful, revealing the remains of rodents, bear, goats, and a swamp rabbit buried within the cave mere inches away from the paths traveled by tourists on a daily basis.  These fossils were determined to be Pleistocene transitioning to Holocene in age.  Work is still on-going, with a high potential for the analysis of additional sites in the future.  Click on the picture of the Cavern's "angel" to see more pictures of the project.