 | A major contributor to this article appears to have a close connection with its subject. (February 2022) |
The Jean and Ric Edelman Fossil Park, located in Mantua Township, New Jersey, consists of a 66-million-year-old 6-inch (150 mm) bone bed set into a 65-acre (26 ha) former marl quarry.[1] It is currently the only facility east of the Mississippi River that has an active open quarry for public Community Dig Days.[2] Formed at the end of the Cretaceous Period during the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event, this rich fossil deposit is abundant in marine life which is indicative of the shallow sea that once covered the area that would become Southern New Jersey. The fossil park is undergoing renovations to become the site of the Jean and Ric Edelman Fossil Park Museum and will be available for school, scout, camp, and public programs once construction is complete. It is currently closed to the public and will reopen after the completion of the museum in the summer of 2024. The Jean and Ric Edelman Fossil Park is owned and operated by Rowan University in Glassboro, New Jersey thanks in part to a generous donation from Jean and Ric Edelman.