Formations

Overview[]

The process of fossilization after the death of a lifeform is exceedingly rare and requires highly specific environmental conditions to occur. Geological outcroppings in which a significant quantity of fossils is naturally preserved in the rocks are of great value for paleontological research. These sites are typically named after the area in which they are found, and can sometimes represent several fossiliferous layers of different ages. Strictly speaking, each layer represents a single distinct formation.

Prehistoric Kingdom has a variety of formations available to the player. Each dig site represents a diverse ecosystem of animals or paleoflora that time has left behind, but can be dug up and resurrected in your parks. Each dig site is accessible through the Excavations menu. In the menu, you can unlock each dig site via ingame payment and a required star rating. You can see a preview of the animals available in the formation by hovering over its icon.

After unlocking a formation, you can purchase any animal from the region. Subsequently, you can purchase additional genetic skins which become cheaper the more you acquire. Some genera that have alternate species, such as Edmontosaurus and Torvosaurus, are found across multiple locations, while others (like Triceratops and Camarasaurus) have all of their species located at the same formation.

List of Dig Sites Currently In Game[]

Icon	Key
	Paleozoic Formations
	Mesozoic Formations
	Cenozoic Formations

North American Dig sites[]

Formation	Epoch	Description	Animals
Arroyo Formation	Early Permian	Sometimes called the "Lower Clear Fork Formation", the Arroyo formation is located in Texas, and preserves fossils from the Kungurian Stage of the Permian Period.	Diplocaulus magnicornis
Chinle Formation	Late Triassic	An extremely prolific Triassic deposit found across most of the North American southwest, the Chinle Formation preserves a time when evolution went wild.	Coelophysis bauri
Cloverly Formation	Early Cretaceous	An Early Cretaceous deposit of floodplain environments, rich in vertebrate fauna including many dinosaurs.	Acrocanthosaurus atokensis
Dinosaur Park Formation	Late Cretaceous	A Late Cretaceous formation located in Canada's province of Alberta. Within its temperate and coastal forests, an assortment of hardy animals roamed.	Lambeosaurus lambei, Parasaurolophus walkeri, Styracosaurus albertensis
Fram Formation	Late Devonian	A Late Devonian formation located on Ellesmere Island in Canada that formed some 375 million years ago, at a time when the North American craton ("Laurentia") was straddling the equator.	Tiktaalik rosae
Hell Creek Formation	Late Cretaceous	Possibly the most famous formation, Hell Creek preserves the subtropical and coastal forests of Late Cretaceous North America. Some of the most iconic dinosaurs of all time are found here, but also a variety of smaller reptiles and mammals, as well as an abundance of plant fossils, painting a picture of a thriving ecosystem right before the end of the Mesozoic era.	Ankylosaurus magniventris, Edmontosaurus annectens, Pachycephalosaurus spinifer/wyomingensis, Triceratops horridus/prorsus, Tyrannosaurus rex
Horseshoe Canyon Formation	Late Cretaceous	The oldest and most well known of the Edmonton Group, the Horseshoe Canyon Formation provides a look at the varied assemblage of animals that once roamed these floodplains and swamps.	Edmontosaurus regalis, Pachyrhinosaurus canadensis
Kaiparowits Formation	Late Cretaceous	Believed to represent a dense jungle river system, the Kaiparowits Formation is incredibly rich in fossils, providing a glimpse into a biome notorious for its hostility toward preservation.	Nasutoceratops titusi, Parasaurolophus cyrtocristatus
Kayenta Formation	Early Jurassic	Along with the Chinle Formation, the Kayenta Formation constitutes many fa mo us areas of the Colorado Plateau; when it was deposited, the area would have been a low-lying desert with a slow moving system of rivers and ponds.	Dilophosaurus wetherilli
La Brea Tar Pits	Pleistocene	A popular tourist spot within the American city of Los Angeles, the La Brea Tar Pits is a crucial and highly diverse formation with a wide variety of animals that spent their last moments enveloped in tar.	Panthera atrox, Smilodon fatalis
Morrison Formation	Late Jurassic	A well-known and extensively researched Late Jurassic formation located across a vast stretch of the center of the United States, the seasonal savannas of the Morrison Formation contained some of the world’s most popular dinosaurs.	Allosaurus anax/fragilis/jimmadseni, Apatosaurus ajax, Brachiosaurus altithorax, Brontosaurus excelsus, Camarasaurus grandis/lentus/supremus, Dryosaurus altus, Stegosaurus stenops/ungulatus, Torvosaurus tanneri
Prince Creek Formation	Late Cretaceous	A Late Cretaceous boreal formation located in Northern Alaska. This frosty locale was one of the coldest during the Mesozoic, but would seem mild compared to the landscape today.	Edmontosaurus regalis, Pachyrhinosaurus perotorum, Ugrunaaluk kuukpikensis
Wapiti Formation	Late Cretaceous	A coastal floodplain that was home to many dinosaur species, but due to limited surface exposure, not many fossils can be recovered.	Pachyrhinosaurus lakustai

South American Dig sites[]

Formation	Epoch	Description	Animals
Cerrejón Formation	Paleocene	The Cerrejón Formation is located in Colombia and is renowned for the Titanoboa. Due to its large reserves of coal, the formation is also used in mining. Based on its fossil content and the stratigraphy of the formation, the Cerrejón Formation was likely formed on a coastal plain, covered in a wet tropical rainforest and incised by a large river system.	Titanoboa cerrejonensis
Collón Curá Formation	Miocene	This formation represents a hot and humid environment rich in rivers and lakes. The mammal fauna of the Collón Curá Formation led researchers to establish the Colloncuran age, ranging from 15.5 to 13.8 Ma. Notable fossils include the Terror Bird Kelenken guillermoi and the ungulate Astrapotherium guillei. While the genus Peltephilus is also found in these rocks, the ingame species P. ferox is technically from the older Santa Cruz Formation.	Peltephilus ferox
Huincul Formation	Late Cretaceous	An arid sandstone formation within the center of Argentina, the Huincul Formation's dry tropical fields were the cradle for titans.	Argentinosaurus huinculensis
Luján Formation	Pleistocene	Home to the famous saber-toothed tigers of South America, the swampy flood plains of the Luján Formation was a paradise for mammals.	Smilodon populator

European Dig sites[]

Formation	Epoch	Description	Animals
Altmühltal Formation (also known as Solnhofen Limestone)	Late Jurassic	The Altmühltal Formation is a Jurassic Konservat-Lagerstätte that preserves a rare assemblage of fossilized organisms, including highly detailed imprints of soft bodied organisms such as sea jellies. The most familiar fossils of the Altmühltal Formation include the early bird Archaeopteryx preserved in such detail that they are among the most famous and most beautiful fossils in the world.	Archaeopteryx lithographica, Compsognathus longipes
Charmouth Mudstone Formation	Early Jurassic	A marine deposit where dinosaurs are quite rare, the Charmouth Mudstone Formation played an important role in early paleontological history, being frequented by renowned fossil collectors including Mary Anning.	Scelidosaurus harrisonii
Lourinhã Formation	Late Jurassic	Known for its faunal overlap with the Morrison and Tendaguru Formations, the coastal Lourinhã Formation is very rich in fossils, footprints, and eggs.	Allosaurus europaeus, Stegosaurus ungulatus, Torvosaurus gurneyi
Löwenstein Formation	Late Triassic	This formation records a seasonally dry playa vulnerable to wildfires, and underlies the similar Trossingen Formation.	Plateosaurus gracilis
Tokod Formation	Pleistocene	A representative digsite for the massive mammoth steppe, a biome which once covered the land from Europe to Alaska. Home to famous and shaggy megafauna, fed by a dry but quite productive landscape of grasses and wildflowers.	Coelodonta antiquitatis, Mammuthus primigenius, Megaloceros giganteus, Panthera spelaea, Ursus spelaeus
Trossingen Formation	Late Triassic	A muddy estuarine area, where a heavy monsoon fed lush vegetation but also caused devastating floods. Rich in archosaur fossils of all sorts.	Plateosaurus trossingensis
Wessex Formation	Early Cretaceous	A historically significant formation, having been the site where the original dinosaurs were discovered, the rainy Wessex Formation was once a pristine Mediterranean scrubland.	Iguanodon bernissartensis, Baryonyx walkeri

African Dig sites[]

Formation	Epoch	Description	Animals
Abrahamskraal Formation	Late Permian	The Abrahamskraal Formation is found in numerous localities in the Northern Cape, Western Cape, and the Eastern Cape of South Africa.	Diictodon feliceps
Elrhaz Formation	Early Cretaceous	Vast river systems once flowed over the Elrhaz Formation, providing refuge to many species of dinosaurs and crocodyliformes.	Ouranosaurus nigeriensis
Kem Kem Group	Late Cretaceous	Home to many enigmatic species, the ancient arid floodplains of the Kem Kem group have been revealing their secrets.	Carcharodontosaurus saharicus, Spinosaurus aegyptiacus
Maevarano Formation	Late Cretaceous	A seasonally dry sandy river plain inhabited by a charismatic fauna, including giant frogs and snakes, herbivorous crocodiles and strange dinosaurs.	Sahonachelys mailakavava, Simosuchus clarki

Asian Dig sites[]

Formation	Epoch	Description	Animals
Chitarwata Formation	Oligocene	Estuaries and tidal flats dominated the Chitarwata Formation and many animals took advantage of these conditions as the Indian subcontinent continued to close the Tethys Ocean and give rise to the Himalayas.	Paraceratherium bugtiense
Djadochta Formation	Late Cretaceous	An arid desert environment even into the modern day, the Flaming Cliffs within the Gobi Desert preserved one of the most famous feuds in natural history.	Oviraptor philoceratops, Protoceratops andrewsi, Velociraptor mongoliensis
Dushihin Formation	Early Cretaceous	Interpreted as an ancient lake, the Dushihin Formation records the nesting sites of many different dinosaur species.	Psittacosaurus mongoliensis
Hsanda Gol Formation	Oligocene	Having been excavated for a century, the Hsanda Gol formation has yielded a wealth of information about Oligocene Mongolia and the animals that lived in its arid environment.	Paraceratherium transouralicum
Ilek Formation	Early Cretaceous	Large and understudied, more research is required to better understand the animals and environment of the Ilek Formation.	Psittacosaurus sibiricus
Jiufotang Formation	Early Cretaceous	The Jehol Biota was a lake dominated temperate forest ecosystem with periodical volcanic eruptions that preserved the entire ecosystem in the exquisite Lagerstätte of the Jiufotang Formation and its sister site, the Yixian Formation.	Microraptor gui, Psittacosaurus mongoliensis
Kozhamzhar Formation	Pleistocene	(N/A)	Elasmotherium sibiricum, Mammuthus primigenius
Liushu Formation	Miocene	As this silty and homogeneous formation records, the spread of dry-adapted grasses created here a productive habitat for familiar yet strange megaherbivores.	Sinotherium lagrelii
Nemegt Formation	Late Cretaceous	One of the most studied formations of Asia, the Nemegt Formation perseveres a time when southern Mongolia had forested lakes and rivers, a contrast to its generally arid history.	Deinocheirus mirificus, Gallimimus bullatus, Mononykus olecranus, Tarbosaurus bataar
Shara Murun Formation	Eocene	In this lush subtropical formation browsed an animal that would give rise to true giants in later, more open environments.	Juxia sharamurenensis
Tiaojishan Formation	Late Jurassic	Volcanic ash immaculately preserved this formation's flora of ginkgos, conifers, cycads, bennettites and ferns, as well as its diverse vertebrate and invertebrate fauna.	Yi qi
Vilyuy River	Pleistocene	The site of the first documented partial remains of a woolly rhinoceros; the Vivyuy River still flows strong though eastern Siberia.	Coelodonta antiquitatis
Yamal Peninsula	Pleistocene	The Yamal Peninsula (located in northwestern Siberia) is characterized by wild riverine networks running through permafrost plateaus which have been thawing to reveal exquisitely preserved megafauna.	Elasmotherium sibiricum, Mammuthus primigenius
Yixian Formation	Early Cretaceous	An incredibly significant formation in regards to natural history, the Chinese Yixian Formation confirmed to many what paleontologists had long argued: Could dinosaurs have feathers?	Psittacosaurus sp.
Yuliangze Formation	Late Cretaceous	In contrast to most other formations, the primary excavations of the Yuliangze Formation were due to construction projects along the Amur River; during which, large Charonosaurus bonebeds were discovered.	Charonosaurus jiayinensis

Australian Dig sites[]

Formation	Epoch	Description	Animals
Eumeralla Formation	Early Cretaceous	Formed during the break up of Australia and Antartica, the Eumeralla Formation has revealed important insights into this polar world.	Leallynasaura amigraphica
Mackunda Formation	Early Cretaceous	The Mackunda Formation represents one of the times the Eromanga Sea filled a large portion of inland Australia; the sea created excellent conditions for both the preservation of skeletons and the creation of opals.	Muttaburrasaurus langdoni

Removed Dig Sites[]

Winton Formation

Upon release of Update 9, Muttaburrasaurus langdoni was found in the Winton Formation despite having no described fossils from there. The subsequent Hotfix (EA 1.6.16) replaced the Winton Formation with the accurate Mackunda Formation.

It is possible that the Winton Formation could return to the game if an animal described from the formation is added to Prehistoric Kingdom.

Trivia[]

Prior to Update 5, animals were unlocked with science points, a removed currency. Henceforth, both the formation and animals have been purchasable with normal in-game currency.

Gallery[]

Photos