The deadliest mass extinction of all took a long time to kill 90 percent of Earth’s marine life–and it killed in stages–according to a newly published report.
A collection of over 300 specimens collected by Charles Darwin and his associates – then forgotten for generations has be rediscovered at the British Geological Survey.
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.
The PLoSone online journal has an article about Acamptonectes densus, an ichthyosaur that survived the Jurasic-Cretaceous extinction event and suggests that the event had little impact on ichthyosaurs.
This is a great time to introduce kids to earth science with age-appropriate books. The geology.com store has children’s books on topics that include: dinosaurs, rocks, minerals, fossils, gemstones, volcanoes and more.
Based upon the proportions of two vertebrae and a femur of Alamosaurus sanjuanensis found in New Mexico, researchers believe that the bones are from the largest dinosaur ever found in North America.
Researchers in southern Italy have found teeth associated with shell beads and other ornaments that date to between 43,000 and 45,000 years ago. These are older than any other physical remains found anywhere in Europe.
Researchers from the Dallas Museum of Nature and Science have described a new species of horned dinosaur, Pachyrhinosaurus perotorum, recovered from the Prince Creek Formation of Alaska’s North Slope. This article at ArtDaily had a link to the formal paper at the bottom of the page.
Oxygen isotope levels in chronological layers of Camarasaurus teeth reveal that the dinosaur may have seasonally migrated great distances – at least 200 miles!
Smithsonian.com celebrated Halloween with an article titled: “Cinema’s Spookiest Dinosaur Scenes” that lists and describes the top five dinosaur scenes from the movies. Can you guess which scene earned position #1?
Measurements from a small fossil fragment housed in the Natural History Museum of London for over 100 years were used to determine that some pterosaurs had a wingspan of up to seven meters!
Some of the most spectacular Eocene fossils are found in the Green River Formation of Colorado, Utah and Wyoming where fish, insects, plants and animals were preserved in intermountain lakes while the Rocky Mountains were still growing.
“Geographers first noticed the circular feature on the landscape, and a 1922 geologic expedition confirmed the origin of the depression. Several decades later, paleontologists made another find at Aniakchak: Dinosaurs once lived in the area, and they left behind some of their fossilized tracks.” Quoted from the Earth Observatory image release.
“The track site, found in southwest Arkansas, covers an area of about two football fields and contains the fossilized tracks of several species.” Quoted from the University of Arkansas news release.
The SciNEWS website has a new collection of resources that guide teachers in preparing learning activities for students that feature new research findings about some of the oldest-know feathers. These are based in part on an assemblage of Late Cretaceous dinosaur and bird feathers discovered in Canadian amber.
BBC has a report on a Yale University scientist and her discoveries on the original colors of fossilized beetles.
Welcome to Geology News!
Every day you can find links to several earth science news topics right here.
Bookmark this page and visit often. You can also receive our news for free by RSS feed or in a daily email message.
Advertising
Popular From Geology.com
Marcellus Shale: The most overlooked resource in the eastern United States!
Diamonds from Coal? Diamonds form under a variety of conditions that rarely involve coal as a source of carbon.
Mineral Rights / Oil & Gas: Who owns the minerals under your land? Have they been sold? Can someone mine without permission?
The Many Uses of Gold: Learn how the unique properties of gold make it extremely suited for a large number of industrial uses.
