Field Guide to Big Bone Lick, Kentucky: Birthplace of American Vertebrate Paleontology

Authors

Glenn W. Storrs, Cincinnati Museum Center, Geier Collections & Research CenterFollow
H Gregory McDonald, U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land ManagementFollow
Eric Scott, California State University, San BernardinoFollow
Robert A. Genheimer, Cincinnati Museum Center, Geier Collections & Research CenterFollow
Stanley E. Hedeen, Cincinnati Museum Center, Geier Collections & Research CenterFollow
Cameron E. Schwalbach, Cincinnati Museum Center, Geier Collections & Research CenterFollow

Researcher ORCID Identifier

Glenn Storrs 0000-0001-8542-1557

H. Gregory McDonald 0000-0001-6916-7237

Eric Scott 0000-0002-2730-0893

Cameron Schwalbach 0000-0002-8357-3714

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Abstract

Big Bone Lick is the birthplace of vertebrate paleontology in the Western Hemisphere and has a long and celebrated history in the exploration of the American colonial frontier and of the early United States. Notable European scientists of the 18th century such as Buffon, Cuvier, and Hunter discussed the fossils found there. Prominent Americans of the time, such as Boone, Washington, Franklin, and Jefferson are also part of the site’s history. It is the type locality for several extinct late Pleistocene megafaunal mammals, most notably the iconic American Mastodon, who were attracted to the area by salt licks dictated by the local geology. The valley of Big Bone Creek was unglaciated during the Wisconsinan advance and numerous saline springs well up through fractured bedrock of the Cincinnati Arch, providing essential minerals for the physiology of mammalian herbivores. The fossil remains at Big Bone Lick are an attritional assemblage, apparently including those that are the result of Native American predation. Archaeological remains from all local Native American cultural periods have also been found at the lick. The site is perhaps most notable in the history of science for its role in the development of comparative morphology and the establishment of the concept of extinction.

This special publication reflects research and scholarship produced in conjunction with the April 2022 joint North-Central and Southeastern section meeting of the Geological Society of America. As the authors are not Kentucky Geological Survey staff, the work described herein is not a product of KGS scholarship or explicitly reflective of KGS views. Additionally, cited historical documents included in this publication may include biased language or views that misrepresent indigenous cultures.

Publication Date

10-2023

Series

13

Issue Number

2

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

https://doi.org/10.13023/KGS13SP22023

Spatial Coverage

Boone County, Rising Sun 7.5-minute Quadrangle, Big Bone Lick

Language

English

Related Content

• Annotated bibliography of publications on Big Bone Lick
• Video of a mastodon tusk excavation at the park that is referenced in the text.

Repository Citation

Storrs, G.W., McDonald, H.G., Scott, E., Genheimer, R.A., Hedeen, S.E.Schwalbach, C.E, 2023, Field Guide to Big Bone Lick, Kentucky: Birthplace of American Vertebrate Paleontology: Kentucky Geological Survey, ser. 13, Special Publication 2, 54p. DOI: https://doi.org/10.13023/kgs13sp22023.