Palaeontology

Monthly Archive: December Pala

From the Field: Hudson Bay’s Ancient Treasures

Posted: September 13, 2011 - 16:07 , by royal

July 25

Summerasaurus Part VI: Un-jacketing dino bones in the Vertebrate Palaeontology Lab

Posted: September 9, 2011 - 08:52 , by royal

Today, we thought we’d offer you a behind-the-scenes look at the Vertebrate Palaeontology Lab to see what happens to dino bones between being excavated and being put on display or used for research.

Unopened plaster field jackets stored on metal shelves.

From the Field: Ancient Sea Scorpion Fossil Found

Posted: September 7, 2011 - 08:39 , by royal

July 23

Clear skies at last! Down to the coast to catch good morning lighting and a fortuitously low tide, so we can see in detail how fossil-bearing Upper Ordovician carbonate deposits (445 million years old) at our main locality “lap” against the elevated flanks of a much more ancient rock mass. This highly resistant Proterozoic (about 2500 million-year-old) quartzite body is the remnant of a small island that formed part of an archipelago in shallow Ordovician subtropical seas.

Summerasaurus Part V: The Badlands

Posted: September 2, 2011 - 09:10 , by royal

Walking through the badlands is like walking through a western novel: canyons cut through the prairie, exposing layers of brown, gold, black and white sediment. Clichés keep popping up: tumbleweeds roll by, cactus pop out from unexpected places, and cattle skulls bleach in the sun. Scorpions hide in coal seams, soaking up the sun’s heat from the black rock that camouflages them. It’s a bit overwhelming at first, but once you accept the fact that you’re in a place unlike anywhere else in Canada, it all becomes simple and beautiful.

Summerasaurus Part IV: How to Find Dinosaurs

Posted: August 23, 2011 - 12:25 , by royal

Mark Farmer recently returned from an expedition to the badlands of southern Alberta with Dr. David Evans, Associate Curator of Vertebrate Paleontology at the ROM, in search of dinosaurs. Join us as Mark and Dr. Evans put up their notes from the field, detailing discoveries, how dinosaurs are found and excavated, life in the field and more.

Recap of Today’s Dino Q&A

Posted: August 10, 2011 - 16:41 , by ROM
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David Evans and Dr. M. Ryan standing in Alberta's badlands.

A picture of David Evans (ROM) and fellow dino hunter Dr. M. Ryan excavating a fossil in Alberta shared on Twitter during the Q&A.

From the Field: Arrival in Churchill, Manitoba

Posted: August 10, 2011 - 11:32 , by royal

July 18, 2011 – Welcome to Churchill!

We arrive from Winnipeg by twin turboprop early this evening, after the usual minor delays and frustrations,… pick up our 4×4 vehicle, get settled in at the wonderful new Churchill Northern Studies Centre facility and spend a few hours showing two novice crew members some of the nearby tundra features, including a splendid extended sunset (officially at 10:07 PM, but with a beautifully long prelude).

Summerasaurus Part III: The Jacketing Process

Posted: August 3, 2011 - 16:31 , by royal

Mark Farmer recently returned from an expedition to the badlands of southern Alberta with Dr. David Evans, Associate Curator of Vertebrate Paleontology at the ROM, in search of dinosaurs. Join us over the course of the next month as Mark and Dr. Evans put up their notes from the field, detailing discoveries, how dinosaurs are found and excavated, life in the field and more.