Field Work Fun

Despite a slight back injury causing some delays, I've been collecting matrix for my PhD project which is a microvertebrate study of the Scollard Fm here in Alberta. One very nice Saturday, Darren, Natasha and I visited and collected from a productive road cut.

We found a nice layer where Ornithischian tooth fragments, gar and other fish scales, crocodile teeth, etc (all typical Scollard microfossils) were eroding out.

Also found was this turtle plate that was surprisingly complete. I have, of course, lost my usual scale bar and had forgotten my new one, so made due with the Blistex tube that I always have with me. I've been accused of being addicted to the stuff in the past, but I always figured there are worse things to be addicted to. : )


Anyway, the turtle plate turned out to be a Chelydrid hypoplastron which Dr. Don Brinkman (of the Royal Tyrrell Museum and my co-supervisor) seemed pleased with.

We ended up collecting 7 bags of test matrix and I'm excited to get the material washed next week. I'll then sort through it, picking out the fossils and doing my best to identify them (I'm still new at this) and decide whether it's worth going back to do major collection.

This is just one of six sites I've seen thus far and I hope to visit more further north on the Red Deer River soon. I'll do my best to update the blog as I go along.

I did want to mention that in Alberta, one must have an excavation permit to collect matrix or do anything other than surface collect and to be sure that you always have proper landowner permission before going onto any site.

Gaffney Turtle Symposium

Registration for the Gaffney Turtle Symposium, Oct. 17th & 18th of 2009, is up and running and abstracts are now being accepted. The deadline for early registration is September 7th. Abstracts may be submitted until June 30th. Information on registration, abstract submission, and hotels is available at:http://www.tyrrellmuseum.com/events/turtlesymp09.php. Hope to see you there!

Just because...

I think this is hilarious! : )

Horseshoe Canyon Fm fossil plant guide

Kevin Aulenback's guide to the fossil plants of the Horseshoe Canyon Fm will be available in June. I had the honor of leafing (Ha! Get it?) through it before publication and can say without hesitation that it's a lovely book. The color photographs are beautiful and the research very informative. I know that I'll be purchasing a copy.

It'll be available in June through the University of Calgary Press (www.uofcpress.com) for $34.95 CDN. It is 400 pages long with over 800 color and black and white illustrations.

Congratulations to Kevin for a job well done!

Alberta fossil guide now available

The Alberta Palaeontological Society announces the release of the "Guide to Common Vertebrate Fossils from the Cretaceous of Alberta". This is an updated version of the classic guide by Hope Johnson including original artwork, color photographs and descriptions of fossils. This 234 page, spiral bound book is perfect for identification of fossils in the field or office.

It's $30 (Canadian) for non-APS members with $15 shipping and handling. See their website for more information: http://www.albertapaleo.org.

I'm happy to have my copy and am positive that you'll enjoy it too.

Paleo2009 symposium

The Alberta Palaeontological Society's annual symposium is being held this weekend (March 14-15) at Mount Royal College in Calgary. Registration is free. Here's a list of Saturday's speakers:

9AM - introduction by APS president Don Quinsey

9:15 - Prothero, Occidental College, Los Angeles

"Stasis in late Pleistocene birds and mammals from Rancho La Brea during last glacial- interglacial cycle"

10:00 - Don Brinkman, Royal Tyrrell Museum, Drumheller

"The non-marine fish of the Late Cretaceous and early Paleocene of Western North

America - evidence from microvertebrate sites"

10:30 - Coffee break

10:45 - * Danielle Fraser, University of Calgary

"Studying latitudinal variation in the reponse of ungulates to late Miocene climate

change"

11:15 - Keiichi Aotsuka, Canadian Fossil Discovery Centre, Morden

"The first occurrence of the Baptornithidae in the Pierre Shale Formation (Pembina

Member) of Manitoba"

11:45-1:45 - Lunch break and poster viewing

1:45 - Darren Tanke, Royal Tyrrell Museum

"The use of helicopters in paleontological field work in Alberta, Canada"

2:15 - Murray Gingras, University of Alberta

"Pleistocene walrus predation; trace fossil evidence in Willapa Bay, Washington"

2:45 - * Jason Anderson, University of Calgary

"The impact of the 'frogamander' on ideas of modern amphibian evolution"

3:45 - Coffee break

4:00 - Joseph Hatcher, Canadian Fossil Discovery Centre, Morden

"Paleotaxa of the Pierre Shale Formation, Southern Manitoba"

5:00 - Finish

There is also a workshop being held on Sunday from 9-12 AM on the "Comparative osteology of the fossil marine taxa of Southern Manitoba" by Joseph Hatcher of the Canadian Fossil Discovery Centre in Morden. Registration for the workshop is manditory and costs $15.

* I've heard that these two may be switched around, but don't have confirmation of that fact.

There will also be poster presentations and fossils on display.

Hope to see everyone there!

BCPS call for abstracts

The Vancouver Paleontological Society presents the Eighth British Columbia Paleontological Symposium being held May 15-18, 2009 in Vancouver, BC. This year's keynote speaker is Dr. Gregory Wilson of the University of California, Berkeley, Department of Integrative Biology (although I believe they mean the University of Washington, Department of Biology since that's where Greg is now). The symposium will include talks by professionals as well as avocational paleontologists, field trips, workshops, retail booths and a paleo art show.

While the symposium highlights fossil mammals, they invite talks, posters and displays showcasing all aspects of paleontology.

The deadline for submission of abstracts is April 10, 2009.

Registrations for the full symposium is $100 for professional paleontologists and non-BCPA attendees, $80 for BCPS members and $60 for students.

For more information, please see their website at www.bcfossils.ca.

As an aside - unfortunately, this symposium overlaps the Frenchman Formation Conference which is being held in Eastend, Saskatchewan from May 17-20. See below for more details on that conference.