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May 7, 2017. Today was another Super day! I left a wake-up call for everyone at 6 a. m. We filled up on gas and headed north for the Paleo Ranch. The ranch, of over 7000 acres, is packed with dinosaur and other fossils. We were guided by the great grand-daughter of the single young teacher from Omaha who homesteaded the ranch in 1880. She met and married her husband, an oilfield worker, combined their homesteads, proved up on them and later acquired BLM land to increase their holding to about 40,000 acres. Through the generations the land has been split between heirs.
The Lance or Hell Creek beds are well exposed on the ranch. Some o the earliest dinosaur hunters removed skeletons and they can now be seen in museums. Three mummified specimens have been removed from the ranch. This was a site that we were eager to test with the XRF in order to discover what sedimentary factors favor mummification. Two days before we obtained data from a site named “Tendonitis” owing to the preservation of soft tendons and skin. At first look both sites appear to have stratigraphic and sedimentary similarities. These data will require rigorous analyses and interpretation. They may prove to be extremely valuable. thrilled to see it because of the variety of predator and prey animals represented but also because of the clarity of the drag trace of crocodiles and the extensive presence of claw marks! There were prints of birds, crocodiles, T. rex, and sauropods. The trackway is weathering away but the BHI in ill City has a complete mold of it so that it can be studied in the future. We spent time at a paleo microsite where we were able to collect a variety of dinosaur teeth, bones, fish fecal material, ganoid gar fish scales, etc. At 2 p.m. we met a professional preparatory and collector at his newly acquired quarry about 6 miles southeast of the Paleo Ranch. His quarry was covered by debris used to cover the quarry after being abandoned by the dinosaur museum in Thermopolis. He had some spectacular long bones of a hadrosaur exposed that had been left under water in plaster jackets. They were in poor condition and decomposing rapidly. We suspect that the geochem was generating sulfuric acidic conditions. The bones and surrounding area were tested using the XRF. Interestingly, this quarry contained abundant ossified tendons just as the two other sites where soft tissues were preserved. We excavated or picked up abundant surface materials there. Scott excavated a hadrosaur knuckle bone just beneath and into the wall where I picked up a hadrosaur vertebra on the surface. In addition to acquiring data with the XRF, we also recovered a core from the sandstone above the bone bed (lagerstatten). There were the largest tree-like ironstone concretions I’ve ever seen at this location in the upper Lance. I hope there are decent pictures for you to see. This was the most challenging ingress and egress for our urban equipped auto 4WD Suburban. Scott had a great time driving! Todd, our quarry host, joined the group for dinner in Lusk. Everyone was very tired from the day of field work but they learned, and accomplished a great deal of cutting edge scientific geological research. I am overjoyed to see this group working together vigorously on these projects together! Their enthusiasm is expressed during the day with a hearty animation. They are worn out by the time we get in to write blogs! Each of them is so capable and adaptable to vagaries in the field that I believe they will be very successful in their pursuits. It is really a privilege to watch their tremendous growth in this environment that is new to them. Great Group!! May 1, 2017 We left UC Clermont College at about 7:30 a.m. drove for about 12 hours to spend the night in Nebraska City, Nebraska.
We drove over I -275 to take I-71 to Louisville. Terrible storms and a number of accidents slowed traffic to a crawl and it took about 2 hours to get to Florence, KY. We saw the familiar Ordovician alternating limestone and shale section exposed over the Cincinnati Arch. As we approached Louisville there were spectacular outcrops of massive beds of Mississippian limestone. The Ohio River was swollen by recent heavy rain so the fossiliferous limestone at the Falls of the Ohio were covered by water. After crossing the Ohio River and coming out of the valley exposures of the New Albany Shale (Ohio Black Shale in Ohio) outcropped along I-64. The New Albany is productive of gas and oil in the Illinois Basin in Indiana and Illinois. This unconventional reservoir/source rock is productive with horizontal drilling patterns and hydraulic fracturing. The shale is porous and holds economically viable volumes of oil & gas. It must be developed using state-of –the-art drilling and completion to enhance permeability so that petroleum can be transmitted through pores interconnected by fractures to the well bore and produced commercially. We were again seeing outcrops of Mississippian limestone as we approached Corydon, IN. We passed the large limestone quarry just west of Corydon and were observing dissolution of the limestone preferentially along joints, fractures, and bedding planes. Chemical decomposition of the limestone by weak carbonic acidic water. There are caves in the area, some commercial, and we observed sinkholes and karst topography features from the car windows. Another aspect to the proposed project is to undertake a determination of the depositional environment and geochemistry of dinosaur excavation sites in order to better interpret specific factors that may favor preservation of fossil bones, primarily dinosaur materials. Use of the Niton XRF to analyze geochemistry of in situ materials may improve data collection and reliability, yielding improved interpretation capability.
The history of dinosaur and other Mesozoic Era vertebrate fossil collection from Wyoming has not generally been accompanied by detailed analyses or description of the sediments from which they were removed. The preservation quality of fossils is highly variable. Stable, well-preserved bone may lie adjacent to bone that is badly deteriorated at some locations. In some instances, the decomposition of iron sulfide minerals, such as pyrite, may produce acidic conditions that destroy fossils. The specific distribution of geochemistry within the context of the sedimentary depositional environment could yield valuable insight into these micro-chemical variations. The Niton XRF 3T GOLDD hand-held field portable analyzer, was used for the preliminary determination of such variations in samples collected and brought into the laboratory from a dinosaur excavation last summer. Such samples were disturbed, at least, minimally. It is anticipated that from the preliminary results achieved with the Niton XRF, the tool will be well suited to analyze sediment samples in situ as the excavation proceeds. The tool will analyze and map specific localized geochemical variation within the excavation. Additional standard analyses of sedimentary characteristics such as mineral composition, grain size, texture, and structures will be performed in addition to in situ field work for depositional environment interpretation. Yet another aspect of the project will be to attempt to establish any local patterns that may exist in the expression of surface features that may reflect differential erosion of fossiliferous deposits. It is possible that these erosional remnant features may have been more resistant to erosion because of their lithologic character. In turn, the lithologic character may reflect the ancient geochemistry of the depositional environment associated with fossilization. It is standard practice to walk the terrain looking for exposed fossil materials at the surface in order to locate potential excavation sites. It is proposed that drone camera flights, in conjunction with topographic/geologic maps be used to establish patterns that my reveal surficial features as prospective excavation candidates. UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH IN GEOLOGY AT UC CLERMONT COLLEGE We have been very happy to have several notable geologists find and begin their career at Clermont College, these students will join that successful group of scientists to make their own positive mark on the wellbeing of humankind in relationship with our Earth. The UC Clermont College Geology-Geography Area has experienced some success in assisting students to receive scholarships, fellowships and internships in order to gain experience and to fund their academic studies. Early participation in research serves to expand the students’ capability to question with more precise penetration and depth. The desire to solve problems is intensified and the student focuses their curiosity on elemental foundations of their investigation. Publication and dissemination of their efforts demands skillful communication through the peer review process to share the work with others. Discipline and persistence are demanded of the beginning author. Not everyone is prepared for such a commitment. This is a somewhat unique quality in these undergraduate researchers that is a useful as well as valuable characteristic. It is believed that the practical hands-on laboratory and field experiences is a critical aspect of success in acquiring financial support for advanced degree work as well as obtaining marketable skill sets that increases their value to potential employers. In conducting the research projects the student demonstrates adherence not only to the discipline of the science, but also written and oral communication, the use of scientific instrumentation, data collection and interpretation, and dedication to solving problems with steadfast, earnest dedication and commitment. All of which are valuable attributes for successful careers. In summary, the undergraduate research program helps the student to develop essential skills, characteristics, and work patterns that will favor success throughout their career and life. Geology-Geography at UC Clermont College strongly believes that nurturing these efforts is a worthwhile pursuit in educating good citizens and top notch professionals. THE CLERMONT COLLEGE EXPERIENCE The lovely open campus, ease of parking, friendly and gracious staff and faculty, along with small classes are especially welcoming and nurturing to students beginning or finishing their degrees. Classes are taught by faculty who are committed to teaching and the requirements of individual students. Differences and diversity of all manner are appreciated and celebrated. Students who transfer to other colleges often return to reminisce about the aspects of Clermont College that they miss. Each student receives individual attention and lifelong support from faculty through letters of recommendation, advice, and other assistance. FUTURE VISION The Geology- Geography Area envisions the expansion of offerings in the future. Certificates for applied studies in marketable skills that render the recipient employable as a qualified worker in the specific field may be developed. Associates and perhaps baccalaureate degrees in applied geology – geography directed toward a variety of jobs and careers may be developed as well. These earth sciences are useful in a rather broad base of industries and businesses, such as: construction; mining; oil & gas; environmental investigation, remediation, and preventive measures; ground & surface water; soils & agriculture; design & engineering; materials acquisition for industrial usage and testing; warfare strategy; global trade & economics; interpretation of satellite data; geophysics; etc. (Jobs.gov. offers long lists of positions with federal governmental agencies, alone.) Many skills are widely transferrable among different occupations for a wide range of employers. This factor enables an individual to maintain adaptability and flexibility as the economy and specific employers change through time. Students should consider the degree of adaptability and flexibility in making any career choice. |