Inside the Anza-Borrego Desert Paleontology Society: 

Explore  Anza-Borrego Desert Paleontology, right here, right now!
From anywhere at all, discover fossils, 3D models and stories from our collections. Visualize the landscapes of ​Anza-Borrego through time.
Experience Anza-Borrego Desert State Park​,
​​in Person
Plan your visit to the Park ​ in Borrego Springs, CA. Start your journey with California State Parks and the ​Anza-Borrego Foundation. 
​
What Interests You?

STRATIGRAPHY

Forces between the
​Pacific and North American plates are tearing the southwestern edge of North America apart.
​
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ROCKS

A look inside the ​rocks of Borrego. Bright colors
identify the components
of this​ plutonic rock.


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STORIES

The Anza-Borrego Story:
​The Colorado Desert of southeastern California was not always a seemingly barren wilderness.  
​
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PLANTS

The presence of fossil plants and wood scattered across the desert floor
​tells a vivid story of pre-historic woodlands in the distant past.
​
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INVERTEBRATES

Many of the species live today in the Gulf of California and a surprising
​number survive only in the Caribbean Sea.

​
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VERTEBRATES

Discoveries from the fossil beds of the Anza-Borrego Desert have contributed to our understanding of the evolutionary history of  many vertebrate lineages.

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MAMMOTHS

New fossils reveal the diverse giants
that once roamed the ​Colorado Desert.


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PALEOCLIMATES

The climatic and environmental story told by the rocks and fossils of the Park begins about 7 million years ago in the Miocene.

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COLLECTIONS

​Not sure?
Browse our catalogued specimens and ​research collections.  ​


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Featured Anza-Borrego Discoveries & Stories
​Giant Mammal Bones from the Pleistocene
New fossils reveal the diverse giants that once roamed the Colorado Desert.​
Beaks of Titanic Terror

​A fossil bird beak found in the 1960s has recently been re-identified as belonging to a ​“terror bird" - family Phorusrhacidae.
Want to learn more?
Read about the Last Seven Million Years in Anza-Borrego
​in 
Fossil Treasures of the Anza-Borrego Desert

Explore millions of years of
​life in the Colorado desert, specifically in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, through fossils, research and the stories they tell,  with contributions from Anza-Borrego Paleo Affiliated Scientists as well as
​ABDPS Members.
Upcoming Events
Save these Dates
click below for event details
​
October 16-17, 2026
Borrego Days
is the start
of the
season in
​Borrego Springs! 
Nov. 2026 - April 2027
Certification Program
​begins,
running from ​
​Nov-April.
Nov. 2026 - April 2027
Guest Lecture Series 
Thank you to
​ our 2018-26
​speakers. 
March 18 - 22, 2027
​Desert Symposium 2027
Discover all
​about the
​desert !

Free Public Guest Lectures: November 2026 - March 2027
​   (come back soon for this season's line-up)
Click for list of past speakers

    Questions? Contact Us