All of this nasty ice and freezing weather has me longing for summer and fieldwork again. Here are some photos from work in the park this past summer to warm us up a little. The above photo is a picture of a phytosaur skull excavation from May of this year.
Here is our fossil preparator Matt Brown precariously perched excavating a small metoposaurid skull.
Summer intern Kate Hazlehurst working on some poposaurid material from the Sonsela Member.
Poposaurid pubis in-situ.
Myself and Matt Brown carving (literally) a phytosaur skull out of its sandstone tomb. This complete skull is from the type locality of Pseudopalatus jablonskiae and may belong to the same taxon.
Me again, with intern Joanna Panosky excavating aetosaur (Typothorax) plates.
One of the Typothorax plates.
Here is our fossil preparator Matt Brown precariously perched excavating a small metoposaurid skull.
Summer intern Kate Hazlehurst working on some poposaurid material from the Sonsela Member.Poposaurid pubis in-situ.
Myself and Matt Brown carving (literally) a phytosaur skull out of its sandstone tomb. This complete skull is from the type locality of Pseudopalatus jablonskiae and may belong to the same taxon.
Me again, with intern Joanna Panosky excavating aetosaur (Typothorax) plates.One of the Typothorax plates.
Just to rub it in a little, all of these sites are within an hour drive/hike of my office. Such is the beauty of the Petrified Forest National Park. Hope these warmed you up a bit (at least those of us in the Northern Hemisphere).
I have been a rockhound for many years. during one of my field trips in Northern Arizona several years ago I found what appears to be a fossilized skull section. Its a thick skull and from what little I know it appears to show the cavity of a reptilian brain. Can you direct me to someone who can identify this fossil.
ReplyDeleteDear Anonymous,
ReplyDeleteI don't know where you live but the best thing to do would be to take your fossil into your local natural history museum to get it identified.
Bill
Sweet post... nice to see the pics going to good use.
ReplyDeleteFinding a fossil is like finding a treasure. Ever since I was a kid , fossils never ceased to fascinate me.In Lebanon, where I live, there mainly three major locations that have fossil fish, shrimp, octopus,ammonite, and plant fossils. Unfotunately, other locations where there are plenty of ammonites, even shark fossils have been built upon.
ReplyDeleteIt is sad to find that corrupt politicians don't even bother to protect those sites.