South Dakota Ammonite
Mesozoic
About South Dakota Ammonite
The South Dakota Ammonite is a cephalopod fossil dating to the Mesozoic. Ammonite is a realistic South Dakota fossil profile built around coiled marine shell with complex sutures from warm Cretaceous seas. In this state, success usually comes from learning chalk beds, badlands mudstones, and river gravels, then timing runoff, reservoir drawdown, surf cuts, or road work that exposes fresh fossil-bearing rock instead of hunting blindly.
“According to TroveRadar, South Dakota Ammonite fossils from the Mesozoic are found across South Dakota. TroveRadar's field database catalogs 696+ fossil entries for identification and collection guidance.”
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Turn South Dakota Ammonite into a month, law, metro, and ground plan.
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Timing layer
Monthly state routes
Law layer
South Dakota state guide
Fossil collecting rules in South Dakota vary by land status and fossil type. Common invertebrate fossils may be collectible on some public lands, but vertebrate fossils, protected park units, tribal lands, and cultural sites require a much higher level of care and often a permit. This is especially relevant in Hell Creek fossils, ammonites, and Oligocene mammals.
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Place layer
Trail and ground routes
Location: Black Hills National Forest
National Forest • Seasonal edible mushrooms, Common invertebrate fossils in float
Location: Custer State Park
State Park • Photo opportunities, Exposed shoreline stones
Location: Badlands National Park
National Park • Site-specific opportunities, Historic landscape clues
Location: Palisades State Park
State Park • Photo opportunities, Exposed shoreline stones
Identification Tips
- ●planispiral coil
- ●suture patterns
- ●chambered shell
- ●Check chalk beds, badlands mudstones, and river gravels
Where Found
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Related Fossils
North Dakota Ammonite
Mesozoic
Ammonite is a realistic North Dakota fossil profile built around coiled marine shell with complex sutures from warm Cretaceous seas. In this state, success usually comes from learning chalk beds, badlands mudstones, and river gravels, then timing runoff, reservoir drawdown, surf cuts, or road work that exposes fresh fossil-bearing rock instead of hunting blindly.
Nebraska Ammonite
Mesozoic
Ammonite is a realistic Nebraska fossil profile built around coiled marine shell with complex sutures from warm Cretaceous seas. In this state, success usually comes from learning chalk beds, badlands mudstones, and river gravels, then timing runoff, reservoir drawdown, surf cuts, or road work that exposes fresh fossil-bearing rock instead of hunting blindly.
Kansas Ammonite
Mesozoic
Ammonite is a realistic Kansas fossil profile built around coiled marine shell with complex sutures from warm Cretaceous seas. In this state, success usually comes from learning chalk beds, badlands mudstones, and river gravels, then timing runoff, reservoir drawdown, surf cuts, or road work that exposes fresh fossil-bearing rock instead of hunting blindly.
Oklahoma Ammonite
Mesozoic
Ammonite is a realistic Oklahoma fossil profile built around coiled marine shell with complex sutures from warm Cretaceous seas. In this state, success usually comes from learning chalk beds, badlands mudstones, and river gravels, then timing runoff, reservoir drawdown, surf cuts, or road work that exposes fresh fossil-bearing rock instead of hunting blindly.
Montana Ammonite
Mesozoic
Ammonite is a realistic Montana fossil profile built around coiled marine shell with complex sutures from warm Cretaceous seas. In this state, success usually comes from learning dinosaur-bearing mudstones, glacial gravels, and marine shales, then timing runoff, reservoir drawdown, surf cuts, or road work that exposes fresh fossil-bearing rock instead of hunting blindly.
Idaho Ammonite
Mesozoic
Ammonite is a realistic Idaho fossil profile built around coiled marine shell with complex sutures from warm Cretaceous seas. In this state, success usually comes from learning dinosaur-bearing mudstones, glacial gravels, and marine shales, then timing runoff, reservoir drawdown, surf cuts, or road work that exposes fresh fossil-bearing rock instead of hunting blindly.