Raven Ridge

This section through a sequence of rock layers that were deposited between ~53-49 million years ago, has become exposed because of its later tectonic history.

The outcrops span the geological time interval that includes the early and middle portions of the Eocene Epoch.

During this time, ancestral horses, primates, and rodents, among many other mammal groups, were common at Raven Ridge.

[2] The rocks of Raven Ridge were originally deposited on or near a shore line as horizontal sedimentary layers within the Uinta Basin.

[1][3] Raven Ridge is the habitat for eight endemic rare plant species: Penstemon grahamii (Graham's beardtongue), Penstemon albifluvis (White River beardtongue), Astragalus lutosus (Dragon milkvetch), Aquilegia barnebyi (Mancos columbine), Cryptantha rollinsii (Rollins's catseye), Parthenium ligulata (Colorado feverfew), Eriogonum ephedroides (ephedra buckwheat), and Phacelia incana (hoary phacelia).