Fossil Displays

The Laguna Hills Community was built on one of the richest fossil sites in the United States. This wealth of fossil resources was used as the theme for the development of the City of Laguna Hills Community Center.

Sea Fossils
Over millions of years, the Community Center and Sports Complex site has evolved from a tropical bay to a deep marine basin, a shallow bay, a dense woodlands, and a grassy savanna. As you enter the Community Center, there are 5 noticeable display cases. These cases highlight the 17 million year old tropical embayment with its pecten reef, the deep sea that provided a calving site for early whales more than 7 millions years ago, and the Ice Age Saddleback Valley with its wooded hills and grasslands.
Mammoth & Mastodont
By the entrance of the Community Center is a fossilized tusk from a Columbian Mammoth, a common resident in the valley. Nearby there is also a case containing the bones of a mastodont that were uncovered when the Community Center was built. Not all the mastodont is there-portions of the rest of the skeleton still rest 30 feet down beneath the Center.

Gallery
Many of the fossil displays may be seen in the image gallery.