Geology News
Dinosaurs Current Events

A fossil named Aurornis xui of a feathered creature similar to Archaeopteryx was discovered in the 160-million-year-old rocks of northeastern China.

“These scientists have identified an outcome of mass extinctions–that species ecologically marginalized before the extinction may be ‘freed up’ to experience evolutionary bursts then dominate after the extinction.” Quote from H. Richard Lane, Program Director, National Science Foundation.

GeoCorps America is a program offering paid, short-term geoscience positions in some of the most beautiful natural areas in the world.

Just a few of the Fall/Winter Positions….

Curator Intern – Dinosaur National Monument
GIS Technician – Delaware Water Gap
Hydrological Technician – Redwoods National Park
Physical Science Technician – Grand Canyon National Park
Guest Scientist – Yosemite National Park

“Museum CEO George Sparks says along with all the resumes he got from Ph.D.s there was one applicant with just a third-grade education. [...] Along with his hand-written, three-page cover letter, he attached a letter of recommendation from his teacher.”

“More than 200 million years ago, a massive extinction decimated 76 percent of marine and terrestrial species, marking the end of the Triassic period and the onset of the Jurassic. The event cleared the way for dinosaurs to dominate Earth.” Quoted from the NSF press release.

A summary of a presentation titled: “Were Dinosaurs Destined to Be Big? Testing Cope’s Rule” by Gene Hunt of the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution has been posted on the Geological Society of America website.

Middle school students in Texas study dinosaur trackways to learn about the environment and behavior of dinosaurs. The trackway along the shoreline of Grapevine Lake is usually under water but is currently exposed because of a drought.

Popigai: The World’s Largest Diamond Deposit

2012 Arctic Sea Ice Minimum – Lowest Ever

Methane Hydrates: The World’s Largest Natural Gas Resource

The World’s Most Effective Road Sign?

Gold-Bearing Garnet Sands

Eruption Brewing at El Hierro?

NOAA Submarine Volcano Expedition

Metamorphic Rocks of the Bancroft Area

If you have been to Vernal, Utah you know what it is.

“While paleontologists have already discovered many Triceratops specimens from the United States, Canadian paleontologists made headlines last week when they found what appears to be an especially big representative of this famous dinosaur in Alberta.” Quoted from the Smithsonian Blog.

“Finding K-T boundary core was one of the most exciting moment’s we’ve had so far! It was perfect. We could see a layer of blackish-green gritty material that the asteroid impact ejected into the atmosphere, which then rained down into the ocean.”

Researchers at the University of Manchester have developed a new method for estimating the weight of dinosaurs. According to their method, dinosaurs were a lot lighter than previously believed.

Researchers have determined that some dinosaur sub-groups were in decline long before the Late Cretaceous impact event.

“Conventional wisdom holds that during the Mesozoic Era, mammals were small creatures that held on at life’s edges. But at least one mammal group, rodent-like creatures called multituberculates, actually flourished during the last 20 million years of the dinosaurs’ reign and survived their extinction 66 million years ago.” Quoted from the University of Washington press release.

“A pigeon-sized, four-winged dinosaur known as Microraptor had black iridescent feathers when it roamed the Earth 130 million years ago, according to new research led by a team of American and Chinese scientists that includes Museum researchers. The dinosaur’s fossilized plumage is the earliest record of iridescent feather color.” Quoted from the National Science Foundation research announcement.

The Smithsonian Blog has an article that reviews some of the important dinosaur discoveries of 2011. Check it out for new information on dinosaur growth, dinosaur senses, new species and more.

An post on the Smithsonian blog titled “Creating the Age of Reptiles” explores Rudolph Zallingers “Age of Reptiles” painting and its influence on dinosaur paleontology.

Four-year-old paleontoligist, Stella Hatton was not impressed with the accuracy of dinosaur toys at her local toy store. The Canadian Museum of Nature liked her critique of the toy so much that they sent her a correct triceratops model.