South Dakota Mines Celebrates National Fossil Day with Commemoration of the Fossil Cycad National Monument

October 11, 2022
South Dakota Mines Celebrates National Fossil Day with Commemoration of the Fossil Cycad National Monument
Kayleigh Johnson, preparator and lab manager at South Dakota Mines Museum of Geology, holds a fossilized cycad. These fossils were once abundant at the Fossil Cycad National Monument in the Black Hills that was closed due to years of overcollecting.   

fossilized cycadThe Museum of Geology at South Dakota Mines will celebrate National Fossil Day from 9 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. on Oct. 12. The event includes visiting paleontologists from around the region who will be on hand for the unveiling of a special exhibit commemorating the 100th anniversary of Fossil Cycad National Monument.

The monument, which contained one of the world's greatest concentrations of fossilized cycadeoids, opened in the Black Hills near Hot Springs in 1922. But it was closed in 1957 after decades of looting robbed the site of fossils.

National Fossil Day is held each year to, “highlight the scientific and educational value of paleontology and the importance of preserving fossils for future generations.”

The public is invited to the event at Mines where they can speak with paleontologists from South Dakota Mines, the U.S. Forest Service, the Mammoth Site, the Bureau of Land Management, and Badlands National Park.