Agate Fossil Beds National Monument

Agate Fossil Beds National Monument in western Nebraska was established in 1965 to preserve a rich deposit of 20-million-year-old bones of extinct mammals of the Miocene Epoch of Earth history. During this geologic period, grassy prairies covered extensive parts of North America. Large herds of herbivorous mammals grazed there. Rich deposits of their fossilized bones are exposed in the hills on this 3,055-acre site. In Carnegie and University hills, the fossil-bearing beds of rock have been exposed so visitors can see what the ancient bones looked like. Self-guiding trails lead to both localities.