Paleocene Rain Forest: Golden, Colorado, 64 Million Years Ago

Uploaded: Jan. 13, 2014, 1:33 p.m. | Modified: June 6, 2019, 7:48 a.m. | Albums: Ancient Landscapes of Colorado with Denver Museum of Nature and Science
Early Paleocene (64 Million years ago)(Denver Formation). The Front Range has been elevated and is covered by a tropical rainforest. It has been 1.5 million years since the meteorite struck the Yucatan area in Mexico, causing the mass extinction of plants and animals, including the dinosaurs. This scene shows the diverse plants that have evolved since the extinction.

Plants depicted: angiosperm rainforest trees in kipukas

This preliminary version is part of a joint project between the Interactive Geology Project at the University of Colorado Boulder and the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. The nature paintings at the Colorado Convention Center and Denver Museum of Nature and Science are being animated.

From the painting "The First Rainforest" (DMNS Ancient Denvers exhibit) (courtesy Kirk Johnson and Jan Vriesen). A special thanks to James Hagadorn and Ian Miller (DMNS) for their input.

Scene is by Joseph Rogers and James Adson.

http://igp.colorado.edu
Geologic age: 64Ma