Paleontology: A Deep Dive into San Diego History
This exciting new exhibit illustrates the ancient history of life in the Southern California region with special attention given to the fossils found in the geologic record here in South Bay San Diego. Visitors experience a cross-section of layers showing simulated fossils of a Mosasaur, an Albertosaurus, saber-tooth cat, dire wolf, and marine mammals such as the first baleen whale, and an extinct porpoise found only in San Diego.
Real fossils found locally appear in one layer of the exhibit. These fossils are traces of creatures that lived millions of years ago during the Pliocene when the sea covered what eventually became the Chula Vista/Bonita region. Visitors can also peer into a miniature diorama featuring a model of a paleontologist who has just discovered a fossil dinosaur in a gem-lined cave.
Illustrated guides show the locations and names of the various species on the exhibit giving kids of all ages the chance to test their knowledge. A large painted backdrop will show an artist’s interpretation of how the Sweetwater Valley may have looked 3 million years ago during the Pliocene.
About the exhibit:
Exhibit designer Brian Gibson worked with Tom Deméré, curator of paleontology at the San Diego Natural History Museum (The Nat), to design an exhibit that highlights the fossil rich area of South Bay San Diego. Tom was instrumental in helping pull together the information needed to create this new display. Interns from the Mesa College Museum Studies Program helped with developing, designing and fabricating the exhibit. Exhibit designer and artist Jim Melli, who also works at The Nat, created the backdrop that helps tell the story of the Sweetwater Valley during the Pliocene.
This exhibit was made possible through the generous support of the Sefton Foundation, Las Primeras and The Bonita Museum Board of Directors.
Watch a video by Hooke’s Club at Bonita Vista High School inspired by the exhibit.
Learn about Ava’s Cambrian Creature exhibit at the museum: video (2 min.)
More about the exhibit:
A Deep Dive into Our Local History. If you were standing here millions of years ago, you’d be underwater!
Today we find evidence of lifeforms that once lived beneath the sea, buried in the hills around the Sweetwater River Valley. Marine creatures that died and floated to the sea floor were covered with layers of sand and silt which solidified over the years, creating traces of their existence. We call these trace fossils. The age of fossils can be determined by their position in the layers: the older fossils on the bottom and the younger ones on top. This exhibit shows fossils found in the southern California region. Use the guide to help you identify these ancient plants and animals. The fossils inside the case were found just down the street near Glen Abbey Memorial Park.
Échate un clavado a nuestra historia local. Si estuvieras parado aquí hace millones de años, ¡estarías bajo el agua!Hoy encontramos evidencias de formas de vida que alguna vez vivieron bajo el mar enterradas en las colinas alrededor del valle del río Sweetwater. Las criaturas marinas que murieron y se fueron flotando hasta el fondo del mar fueron cubiertas con capas de arena y limo que se solidificaron con los años, dejando huellas de su existencia. A estas huellas se les llama fósiles. La edad de los fósiles se puede determinar por su posición en las capas, los fósiles más antiguos están en la parte inferior y los más recientes en la parte superior. Esta exhibición muestra fósiles encontrados en la región del sur de California. Utiliza la guía para ayudarte a identificar estas antiguas plantas y animales. Los fósiles que están dentro de la vitrina fueron encontrados a unos pasos de aquí cerca del cementerio Glen Abbey Memorial Park.