Tools of My Trade (At Least for Today)

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MAKHTESH GADOL, ISRAEL–The fieldwork could not have been better, although if you watched me all day in the desert sunlight you would have thought otherwise. After I hiked up into the Matmor Hills to find the right horizon, I spent hours in the same place collecting fossils off the surface and sieving the sediments to obtain tiny shells (especially of thecideide brachiopods). The goal is to thoroughly understand the paleontology of this unit, including how these organisms interacted with each other in that ancient Jurassic sea. The persistence paid off with a diverse set of brachiopods, corals, sponges, echinoids, serpulid worms, bivalves, gastropods, and the first ammonite I’ve seen in the Matmor Formation. There is enough complexity in this one site to support at least another two Senior Independent Study projects.

This view of a coral in cross-section shows how complex bioerosion can be.  You can see several holes in the brown coral matrix filled with white sediment.  Inside these borings are cross-sections of bivalve shells.  Note that some borings have more than one set, meaning the hole was occupied by nestling clams after the borer died.  The patches of shiny grey are silicified regions of the coral skeleton.  Since the coral was aragonitic, its original skeleton has been replaced by several minerals.

This view of a coral in cross-section shows how complex bioerosion can be. You can see several holes in the brown coral matrix filled with light tan sediment. Inside these borings are cross-sections of bivalve shells. Note that some borings have more than one set, meaning the hole was occupied by nestling clams after the borer died. The patches of shiny grey are silicified regions of the coral skeleton. Since the coral was aragonitic, its original skeleton has been replaced by several minerals.

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Returning to the Big Makhtesh

MAKHTESH GADOL, ISRAEL–During the afternoon Yoav and I drove to the center of this magnificent erosional crater to visit familiar sites and do some preliminary surveys. It was deliciously hot and dry — just the way I like it. I concentrated on the middle of the Matmor Formation, a Jurassic (Callovian) unit of limestones and marls loaded with diverse fossils. I scoped out the sites I want to measure, describe and sample in the next few days. It was fun to see those places where several Wooster students did their Independent Study fieldwork over the years, and to make plans for the next set.

Makhtesh Gadol looking from the Matmor Hills near the center to the north.  The outcrop in the foreground has yielded wonderful fossils from the middle of the Matmor Formation.

Makhtesh Gadol looking from the Matmor Hills near the center to the north (N30.93458°, E34.97387°). The outcrop in the foreground has yielded wonderful fossils from the middle of the Matmor Formation.

This is a fossil coral which was bored by bivalves while it rested on a Jurassic seafloor.  You can see two of the boreholes clearly on the right.  The coral shows compound growth.  Apparently the lower one was shifted to a position almost at right angles from its original orientation, and then it budded off the capping portion on the right.

This is a fossil coral which was bored by bivalves while it rested on a Jurassic seafloor. You can see two of the boreholes clearly on the right. The coral shows compound growth. Apparently the lower one was shifted to a position almost at right angles from its original orientation, and then it budded off the capping portion on the right.

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Remains of a Jurassic Tropical Forest

MAKHTESH RAMON, ISRAEL–As part of a mine reclamation project in the Makhtesh Ramon National Park near Mitzpe Ramon, the ranger noticed large pieces of fossilized wood coming from the tailings of a bauxite mine which were being trucked to fill large excavations.  Rather than bury these specimens forever, he called the Geological Survey to take a look.  Yoav Avni, one of my Israeli colleagues and a good friend, took me there this morning to see the fossils and help remove them from the debris piles.

Examining pieces of Jurassic tree trunks with the Makhtesh Ramon ranger (center).

Examining pieces of Jurassic tree trunks with the Makhtesh Ramon ranger (center).

The wood is from the lower part of the Ardon Formation, a Jurassic unit lying unconformably on Triassic sediments.  The forest was on the equator during the Early Jurassic, which could make it significant.  Most of the wood is coalified, with some patches of silicification.  We’ll take samples to the Geological Survey headquarters in Jerusalem on Sunday to examine them more closely.  This was a fun little detour because I’ve never seen Jurassic coal — nor had a front-end loader help me sort out specimens!

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Wooster Geologist in Israel (Again)

MITZPE RAMON, ISRAEL–I’m sitting here with a view of one of my favorite places: the little town of Mitzpe Ramon near the center of the Negev Desert in southern Israel. It is poised on the edge of Makhtesh Ramon, a large erosional crater which looks a bit like the Grand Canyon with its steep rocky cliffs and sharp angles, although it lacks a river flowing through the bottom.

Mitzpe Ramon, Israel, as viewed from N30.61134°, E34.80097°.

Mitzpe Ramon, Israel, as viewed from N30.61134°, E34.80097°.

I drove here this afternoon in a tiny little rental car from Ben Gurion Airport about two and a half hours to the north. After surviving the noon-day Tel Aviv traffic (they’re not honking at me, I tell myself, at least not most of them), the scenery on the drive is fantastic. The Negev Desert starts near Beersheva where the last of the trees and brown grass gives way to bare yellow rock with a very thin scattering of Bedouin camps and the occasional IDF base. The terrain, animals and vegetation in the Negev Highlands near Mitzpe Ramon look very much like their equivalents in the Mojave Desert of California, save the occasional camel and ancient ruins like the city of Avdat a few miles north of Mitzpe Ramon.

The ruins of Avdat as seen from Route 40 north of Mitzpe Ramon, Israel.

The ruins of Avdat as seen from Route 40 north of Mitzpe Ramon, Israel.

This trip is another part of my research leave this semester. I will be returning to the Jurassic Matmor Formation exposed in Makhtesh Gadol (“The Big Crater”) northeast of Mitzpe Ramon. This is the site of past Independent Study work by Wooster students (Jeff Bowen, Meredith Sharpe, Sophie Lehmann, and Elyssa Belding). My goal is to tie these projects together with a unified stratigraphic model, and to collect various specific fossil groups for further study. I also want to scout out new study topics for future students. I’ll be here for ten days and hope to post blog entries often. Sleep is pulling at me relentlessly now, though, after 24 hours of travel. Lie-la tov! (Good night!)

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Wooster paleontologist at the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology

DRUMHELLER, ALBERTA, CANADA–The last activity for our IPREP group this summer was a guided visit to the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology. David Lloyd, a paleontological technician at the museum, gave us a fantastic “behind the scenes” tour of the preparation laboratories and collections. The emphasis of the museum and the town is dinosaurs, of course, and I’ve never seen a better collection up close, but there were plenty of invertebrate fossils as well. The museum has one of the best exhibits on the Burgess Shale in the world, including a giant diorama visitors essentially walk into.

The Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology sits within a basin with badlands exposures of dinosaur-loaded Late Cretaceous terrestrial sediments.

The Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology sits in a basin with badlands exposures of dinosaur-loaded Late Cretaceous terrestrial sediments.

The dinosaur reconstructions inside and outside the museum are very well done.  This is a Cretaceous pachyrhinosaur with fearsome ornamentation.

The dinosaur reconstructions inside and outside the museum are very well done. This is a Cretaceous pachyrhinosaur with fearsome ornamentation.

The main collections storeroom is filled with paleontological treasures.

The main collections storeroom is filled with paleontological treasures.

REbecca Perlman, Matt James, and Kurt Burmeister (in the back) examine an opened plaster jacket with dinosaur fossils inside awaiting preparation. Layers of plaster and burlap were applied to the fossils in the field to protect them during transport to the museum.  This technique goes back over a century.

Rebecca Perlman, Matt James, and Kurt Burmeister (in the back) examine an opened plaster jacket with dinosaur fossils inside awaiting preparation. Layers of plaster and burlap were applied to the fossils in the field to protect them during transport to the museum. This technique goes back over a century.

This is the main paleontological preparation lab at the museum.  It is filled with equipment designed for the most part to remove rock from bone.

This is the main paleontological preparation lab at the museum. It is filled with equipment designed for the most part to remove rock from bone.

On the left is a giant ammonite we found mounted in a dim hallway.  They are usually about the size of a fist!  On the right is part of the Burgess Shale diorama showing the ubiquitous Marella.

On the left is a giant ammonite we found mounted in a dim hallway. They are usually about the size of a hand! On the right is part of the Burgess Shale diorama showing the ubiquitous Marella.

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Saying goodbye to the Canadian Rockies — for now

FIELD, BRITISH COLUMBIA–The IPREP team left the Canadian Rockies yesterday morning with many educational and research ideas, new friends, and thousands of photographs to be shared with students and colleagues. It was an extraordinary experience. We thank Matthew James of Sonoma State University in California for organizing this complex trip, and Randle Robertson of the Burgess Shale Geoscience Foundation for his generous support of our work and arranging the trail guides. I highly recommend a visit to Field, British Columbia, for anyone interested in paleontology, geology, and natural history. If you go, I guarantee you’ll enjoy your stay at the immaculate and well-designed Fireweed Hostel. Kim and Craig Chapman were friendly, efficient and generous hosts.

There is one more post to come from this trip — a visit to the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology in Drumheller, Alberta.

The IPREP team just below Helen Lake on the hike to the Cambrian stromatolites.

The IPREP team just below Helen Lake on the hike to the Cambrian stromatolites.

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Wooster geologist at Lake Louise, Banff National Park, Canada

LAKE LOUISE, ALBERTA–On our free day the IPREP study group (this apparently means “International Paleontological Research Exchange Program”) drove to the spectacular Lake Louise in Banff National Park for a hike up the valley to the “Plain of Six Glaciers”. It was one of those many places where I know just how fortunate I am to be a geologist. The weather could not have been better, and there was even a tea house near the end of the trail for sandwiches, peachade, and perfect chocolate cake!

Lake Louise as seen from its outlet looking up the valley. Our hiking trail proceeded from here along the right side of the lake and up the valley almost to the ice of the hanging glaciers.

Lake Louise as seen from its outlet looking up the valley. Our hiking trail proceeded from here along the right side of the lake and up the valley almost to the ice of the hanging glaciers.

We could not help but be delightfully distracted by these brilliant trace fossils in the rocks along the lake shore. The bilobed structure which looks like a deer footprint is an excavation made by a trilobite -- the trace fossil itself is called Rusophycus. The sinuous tubes are trails made by burrowing worms. These features protrude form the rock surface because they are actually on the bottom of the bed. Sediment filled the original holes and is now preserved as ... wait for it ... convex hyporeliefs.  You knew we had a name for it! (Middle Cambrian, Gog Formation).

We could not help but be delightfully distracted by these brilliant trace fossils in the rocks along the lake shore. The bilobed structure which looks like a deer footprint is an excavation made by a trilobite -- the trace fossil itself is called Rusophycus. The sinuous tubes are trails made by burrowing worms. These features protrude form the rock surface because they are actually on the bottom of the bed. Sediment filled the original holes and is now preserved as ... wait for it ... convex hyporeliefs. You knew we had a name for it! (Middle Cambrian, Gog Formation).

The water of Lake Louise has a pastel emerald color because it is loaded with very fine sediment called "glacial flour". It is produced by glacial ice finely grinding the rocks in the highlands above. This sediment fills the streams to near capacity and makes an extensive delta at the inlet to the lake.

The water of Lake Louise has a pastel emerald color because it is loaded with very fine sediment called "glacial flour". It is produced by glacial ice finely grinding the rocks in the highlands above. This sediment fills the streams to near capacity and makes an extensive delta at the inlet to the lake.

Looking down the valley to Lake Louise from one of the many glacial moraines. This unsorted sediment was pushed here by glacial ice when it filled this valley.

Looking down the valley to Lake Louise from one of the many glacial moraines. This unsorted sediment was pushed here by glacial ice when it filled this valley.

The glacial ice above the Lake Louise valley. This is a classic hanging glacier. We had the privilege of seeing (and mostly hearing) a large piece of ice break off and crash into the valley below on this warm and sunny day.

The glacial ice above the Lake Louise valley. This is a classic hanging glacier. We had the privilege of seeing (and mostly hearing) a large piece of ice break off and crash into the valley below on this warm and sunny day.

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Middle Cambrian stromatolites high in the Canadian Rockies

FIELD, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA–Our study group was fortunate to meet Whitey Hagadorn (Amherst College and Denver Museum of Natural History) and Sally Walker (University of Georgia) for a hike to an exposure of stromatolites in the Pika Formation (Middle Cambrian) near Lake Helen and Lake Katherine in Banff National Park. A stromatolite is a finely-laminated sedimentary rock produced by mats of cyanobacteria in a shallow sea collecting and trapping thin layers of sediment. They are relatively common features in Precambrian sediments (the oldest of fossils, in fact) and become significantly more rare in younger rocks (although they are still around today). These Cambrian stromatolites are interesting because of what they can tell us about Cambrian marine conditions, including tidal dynamics, bioturbation, and grazing herbivore pressures.

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Stromatolites exposed as domal structures in this eroding outcrop of the Pika Formation (Middle Cambrian) above Helen Lake in Banff National Park.

A natural cross-section of the Pika Formation stromatolites showing their laminated nature and sediment which has accumulated around their heads.

A natural cross-section of the Pika Formation stromatolites showing their laminated nature and sediment which has accumulated around their heads.

A hardground (light unit) exposed in cross-section in the sediment between stromatolite heads.  This is a layer of carbonate sediment which was cemented on the seafloor and then eroded by currents.  The dark sediment was deposited later on top of the scoured surface.  The hardground layer had been previously burrowed when still soft.

A hardground (light unit) exposed in cross-section in the sediment between stromatolite heads. This is a layer of carbonate sediment which was cemented on the seafloor and then eroded by currents. The dark sediment was deposited later on top of the scoured surface. The hardground layer had been previously burrowed when still soft.

Beautiful folds in the rocks above the Pika Formation stromatolites.  They are nearly recumbent in some parts.  I'll leave their interpretation to my structural geologist colleagues Sam Root and Shelley Judge!

Beautiful folds in the rocks above the Pika Formation stromatolites. They are nearly recumbent in some parts. I'll leave their interpretation to my structural geology colleagues Sam Root and Shelley Judge!

A marmot on the banks of Helen Lake.  Not at all camera shy, this little guy.

A marmot on the banks of Helen Lake. Not at all camera shy, this little guy.

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Mt. Stephen Trilobite Beds (Middle Cambrian)

FIELD, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA–After a very steep and long climb, our little field party visited another restricted quarry of famous Middle Cambrian fossils: the Mt. Stephens Trilobite Beds. Charles Walcott also collected from this site when he was working on the Burgess Shale. The fossiliferous unit is about a million years old (more or less) than the Burgess Shale itself, and it has a rather different fauna dominated by large trilobites. One of the most exciting new ideas is that these fossils may represent an ancient cold seep community associated with methane degassing from the sediments.

Our Canadian guide (and paleontologist) Paul McNeil and our trip leader Matthew James in the Mt. Stephen Trilobite Beds Quarry.

Our Canadian guide (and paleontologist) Paul McNeil and our trip leader Matthew James in the Mt. Stephen Trilobite Beds Quarry.

A view from the Mt. Stephen Trilobite Beds down the mountain to Field and the Trans-Canada Highway. Note the steepness.  Nearly did me in!

A view from the Mt. Stephen Trilobite Beds down the mountain to Field and the Trans-Canada Highway. Note the steepness. Nearly did me in!

Trilobites in the Mt. Stephen Trilobite Beds. (I know -- I should have had a Canadian quarter for scale!)

Trilobites in the Mt. Stephen Trilobite Beds. (I know -- I should have had a Canadian quarter for scale!)

A beautiful complete trilobite. Very common here.

A beautiful complete trilobite. Very common here.

An appendage of one of the most famous Middle Cambrian fossils: Anomalocaris. The Mt. Stephen Trilobite Beds also have soft-bodied preservation.

An appendage of one of the most famous Middle Cambrian fossils: Anomalocaris. The Mt. Stephen Trilobite Beds also have soft-bodied preservation.

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The wondrous Burgess Shale

FIELD, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA–I stepped on Paleontological Holy Ground when I visited the Burgess Shale earlier this week. It is often cited as the most important fossil locality ever. I felt the historical as well as the scientific vibrations in the Walcott Quarry, the site where the extraordinary Charles Walcott began his explorations of the unit in 1909.

The Walcott Quarry of the Burgess Shale.

The Walcott Quarry of the Burgess Shale.

There are numerous websites illustrating the famous Burgess Shale Fauna. I’ll just share some of the favorite fossils I found. (We could pick up and examine any fossil, but collecting, of course, is strictly forbidden.)

The humble sponge Vauxia. I like the less charismatic taxa in the Burgess Shale. The fancy arthropods get plenty of love!

The humble sponge Vauxia. I like the less charismatic taxa in the Burgess Shale. The fancy arthropods get plenty of love!

The primitive mollusc Scenella on the left and a trilobite on the right. The Burgess Shale fauna has plenty of skeletonized fauna along with the soft-bodied forms.

The primitive mollusc Scenella on the left and a trilobite on the right. The Burgess Shale fauna has plenty of skeletonized fauna along with the soft-bodied forms.

This is an odd breccia at the base of the Burgess Shale. The white parts are limestone fragments and the black is calcite. This may be an indication of carbonate hardgrounds -- features I study.

This is an odd breccia at the base of the Burgess Shale. The white parts are limestone fragments and the black is calcite. This may be an indication of carbonate hardgrounds -- features I study.

It is a tradition among paleontologists to pose with Charles Walcott at his famous quarry! I lack the knickers, though.

It is a tradition among paleontologists to formally pose with Charles Walcott at his famous quarry. I lack the knickers, though, and that certain set of jaw.

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