I’ve been doing a bit of work lately on my geologic study of central San Diego and have found many fossil sites. So far, none of the fossils have been very complete. Mostly shell fragments in condensed layers. The oldest found so far have been from the Eocene Mission Valley Formation, which is between 40 and 48 mya.

In addition to the fossils found in Presidio Park, I have also found a few locations around Hillcrest and South Park. Some of these are just the side of the road, others you have to hike a bit in a canyon.

Underlying the southern half of the central San Diego Mesa is the San Diego Formation, which is late Pliocene to early Pleistocene in age, about 5 to 1.5 mya. It has many layers containing fossils, such as the one pictured above.

Once you get the “eye” for fossils, they seem like they pop up everywhere. It would seem that every time I go out on my mapping project lately, I find fossils. Geology can be a lot of fun and I encourage all interested to go out and explore their local area. You never know what you might find.