Taphonomy cards

Introduction to Dinosaur Fossilization

• Dinosaurs' Transition to Fossils

  • The process from living dinosaurs to fossilized skeletons involves multiple stages.

  • Factors affecting fossilization include death, burial, and excavation.

• Efforts in Excavation and Preparation

  • Significant effort is required to find, excavate, and prepare dinosaur bones for display.

Taphonomy

• Definition and Importance

  • Taphonomy: The study of what happens to organisms from the time of death to when they are buried and eventually discovered.

  • Helps understand dinosaur environments, causes of death, and behaviors leading up to death.

• Fossils Tell a Story

  • Each fossil can reveal information about the historical context in which dinosaurs lived.

Dinosaur Provincial Park

• Location and Historical Context

  • Located in Southern Alberta, contains millions of dinosaur remnants dating back approximately 75 million years.

  • Bones found are often associated with sediments that provide context for their position and condition.

• Correct Factors for Fossil Discoveries

  • Essential elements for fossil discoveries include:

    • Exposed Rocks: Necessary to find dinosaur bones; covered rocks limit discovery potential.

    • Age of Rocks: Rocks must be from the correct geological period (Cretaceous Period, when dinosaurs dominated).

    • Right Environment: Terrestrial sediments are preferable for dinosaur fossils since they lived on land.

    • Historical Discoveries: Previous discoveries increase the likelihood of finding additional fossils in the same area.

Glacial Influence and Erosion

• Effect of Glaciation

  • Approximately 13,000 years ago, glaciers sculpted the landscape by scraping away younger sediments, exposing older dinosaur-bearing layers.

  • Melting glaciers created conditions for further erosion, exposing Cretaceous rocks and fossils.

• Continued Erosion

  • Ongoing wind and rain erosion contributes to the discovery of new fossils year after year.

  • Sparse vegetation in the Badlands aids erosion, revealing more bones.

Modern Environment vs. Historical Context

• Current Conditions

  • Dinosaur Provincial Park is too dry for new fossils to easily form.

  • Modern carcasses in the Badlands disintegrate without proper burial, preventing fossilization.

• Past Conditions

  • The area was much wetter and more humid during the time of the dinosaurs, with rivers and wetlands providing ideal conditions for burial and fossilization.

Types of Rocks and Fossilization

• Sedimentary Rocks

  • Composed of materials eroded from other rocks, making them ideal for fossil preservation.

  • Types include sandstones, mudstones, shales, etc., these contain sediments that can bury and preserve remains.

• Non-Ideal Rock Types

  • Igneous Rocks: Formed from molten magma, not conducive to fossil preservation.

  • Metamorphic Rocks: Altered rocks that also do not typically contain fossils under normal circumstances.

Role of Sedimentary Geologists

• Collaboration for Discoveries

  • Sedimentary geologists examine rock layers to identify past environments, enhancing fossil discovery strategies.

  • Preference for looking in specific sediment types (like sandstones) during searches for dinosaur fossils.