#fossil rivers

[seaanimalsdotcom]

Hedgehog-crab

Hedgehog Crab (Derilambrus angulifrons)

This spiky little crustacean belongs to the Parthenopidae family and is found in the deep waters of the Pacific Ocean.

Its spiny shell helps it blend in with rocky environments, offering protection from predators.

Despite its cute appearance, this crab is a skilled scavenger, feeding on small invertebrates and organic debris!

[rodspurethoughts]

Mars: New Evidence of Life-Friendly Environment

"Exciting discovery: Mars' ancient environment hints at life-friendly conditions. Fossil rivers, lakes, and organic molecules provide clues. #Mars #SpaceExploration"

Credit: © NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS/IRAP/Rapin et al./NatureA hexagonal fossil pattern in sedimentary rocks analysed by Curiosity on the 3154th day of its journey through the Gale Crater on Mars.« Mars: new evidence of an environment conducive to the emergence of life Mars, the red planet, has always captivated the imagination of scientists and space enthusiasts alike. Recent findings by the CNRS…

[geologyin-blog]

A spectacularly preserved soft-shelled turtle and fish fossil - frozen in time 50 million years ago From Green River

Photo by: Field Museum /Chicago

[fossilprep]

Raptor brains!

Here's a Troodontid braincase I recently completed preparing using small air scribes, carbowax techniques, and air abrasion under high magnification microscopes. Every square millimeter of this paper-thin hydroxyapatite wants to shatter like tempered glass.

There are probably fewer than 10 Troodontid braincases in the world, and most are squashed flat. This new specimen is preserved in 3D so it'll be put it in a micro-CT scanner to see the inside of the brain cavity. I purposely left matrix inside the cavity because it could have data that the CT scanner could let us see and acts as a support for the brittle bone.

From US Public Lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management - Montana/Dakotas. Found by volunteer Tom Beckenholdt. Collected by Tom & Elizabeth Freedman Fowler.

[amnhnyc]

It’s Fossil Friday, so slither into the weekend with Boavus idelmani! Because of snakes’ delicate skeletons, good snake fossils are quite hard to come by. This specimen is from the Green River Formation of western North America, a rock unit renowned for the quality of its preserved fossils. Boavus is a small, early member of the Booidae—a large group of less advanced snakes that includes today’s boas and pythons. This ancient constrictor lived during the Middle Eocene some 50 million years ago.

You can see it up close in the Museum's Hall of Vertebrate Origins. Plan your visit!

Photo: © AMNH

[knuppitalism-with-ue]

The horror is over, Green River, specifically the Fossil Butte member is done! The Dawn over Eocene fossil lake reveals WAY too many organisms.

Oh boy, this took TWO streams. Fossil Butte is a very diverse deposit, from small insects over tons of plants to a lot of birds, mammals and fish. Soom shale will be very relaxing by comparison.

Three people helped this time with size charts, pooling together not even ALL the organisms form here.

[blueiscoool]

A Rare 38-Million-Year-Old Snake Fossil Found in Wyoming

A snake fossil recently discovered in Wyoming and dated at tens of millions of years old has led to new insights into the evolution and diversification of boas and pythons.

The newly discovered species, named Hibernophis breithaupti, lived in North America 34 million years ago. It was found by scientists in a burrow in western Wyoming where four fossilized creatures were found intertwined.

[mineralsrocksandfossiltalks]

Wordplay Wednesday: Unconformities

Unconformity is a word used quite often by geologists. This is in reference to a contact between rocks that are unconformable or that were not deposited in sequence. There are several types of unconformities. Take the one above that I took at John Day Fossil Beds. The pale strata at the bottom of the hills are the fossil bearing John Day Formation from the Eocene/Oligocene (56-23.03 Ma). This is primarily welded tuff and tuffaceous siltstones. The dark strata above that is the Miocene Columbia River Basalts.

There is a distinct erosional surface between the two layers. This is called a disconformity. A disconformity is  an unconformity between parallel layers of sedimentary rocks which represents a period of erosion or non-deposition.

In the Wind River Gorge in Wyoming, there is another kind of unconformity called a nonconformity. A nonconformity occurs when sedimentary rocks are deposited on top of igneous or metamorphic rocks that have been eroded.  In the above photograph, Cambrian Flathead Sandstone was deposited on top of eroded Archean granite.

Perhaps you have heard of the Great Unconformity in the Grand Canyon? It's pretty famous even by non-geologists. It is the final kind of unconformity, the angular unconformity. An angular unconformity is a gap in the geologic record where tilted, eroded rock layers are overlain by younger, horizontal layers of sedimentary rock.

In review:

Tune in tomorrow for a look at the father of paleontology and make sure you remember today's terminology. It will be important for next Tuesday! Fossilize you later!

[a-dinosaur-a-day]

Do you have any favourite bird fossils?

I actively study fossil birds so that's actually really hard for me to pick just one :') like... all of them

this one of Nahmavis from Green River has always been one of my favorites though

[strangebiology]

Paleontology Job Opening!

If anyone is looking for a paleontology job, this one in the Green River Formation in Wyoming is hiring! It's a lot of 52-MYA fish. TONS of fish. Very occasionally, there's other stuff like bats, birds, and very early horse ancestors.

$19/hour

Full time with federal benefits

App due November 25, 2024 or when they receive 80 applications (whichever comes first, so hurry!) Requirements:

One year of experience required (paid or unpaid, professional or volunteer) in "the fields of paleontology, geophysics, or geology; assisting fossil preparation, field work in paleontology, paleontology research, paleontology database management, paleontology monitoring, paleo art, or specimen management of fossils; assisting with natural resources research projects; compiling and analyzing scientific data into reports; operating complex sampling, monitoring, and laboratory equipment; or using computer programs such as databases to compile, store, retrieve, analyze and report resource management data. Experience as a laboratory mechanic or in a trade or craft may be credited as specialized experience when the work was performed in close association with physical scientists or other technical personnel and provided intensive knowledge of appropriate scientific principles, methods, techniques, and precedents."

Successful completion of at least a full 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree (a) with major study in an appropriate field of physical science, such as paleontology, geology, earth science, earth history or (b) that included at least 24 semester hours in any combination of courses such as physical science, engineering, or any branch of mathematics except for financial and commercial mathematics. 

I don't know if paleontologists usually have to have higher levels of education, but I think this job is called "physical technician (paleontology)" to evade that.

If you're interested, go ahead and send in an application sooner rather than later. You can always withdraw later.

This is very close to me, so if you have questions about life here (that aren't easily Googlable) I'm happy to help! It's quite rural. If you're wondering what the rental market looks like, here's a Facebook group where people post rentals. I'm mostly JTM (just the messenger) but I may have a little more insight.

[seaanimalsdotcom]

Adorabilis

Adorabilis (Opisthoteuthis adorabilis)

This irresistibly cute octopus belongs to the Opisthoteuthidae family and is found in the deep waters of the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of California.

With its round body, tiny fins, and big, puppy-like eyes, it looks like a real-life cartoon!

It’s a dumbo octopus relative, using its ear-like fins to gracefully flap through the water.

[aterfish]

My dude. There are pretty rocks everywhere. And you can just pick them up and take home with you. This world is full of treasures fr

[bonefall]

On the topic of Flight Rising (as a fellow FR enjoyer) I'm curious what flight(s) you've been in? If you dont want to share thats fair but it's interesting to hear peoples reasonings. I joined in the early days of sign up windows, didn't have internet and got put in Lightning by a friend who made the account for me. It has been years and years, don't even know that friend anymore and am still a die hard Spark.

I was actually a Light flight to begin with! Which is another thing that must be an Absolute Shocker, I'm sure. Girlboything who likes writing was in the flight well known for being full of weird writers.

My move was to the Wind flight because minty green is my favorite color. I do love the aesthetic of the wind, the kites, and the traveling, but I'm actually saving up gems to go to Earth next. I think I vibe the most with its lore, even though its scenery is a little uggo. I love how many cities are there, I love the idea of the crypts and the hidden treasures, preserving and documenting history.

I kinda wish you got a free flight change every like... 5 years. That's more than long enough to be fair I think. I've been playing since 2016 which is actually 8 years so... idk give me free flight change. let me out. im literally from the travel guys let me travel

[fossilprep]

Brachylophosaurus skin impression found by Denver Fowler while prospecting

[mindblowingscience]

Scientists have discovered the fossilised skull of a giant river dolphin, from a species thought to have fled the ocean and sought refuge in Peru’s Amazonian rivers 16m years ago. The extinct species would have measured up to 3.5 metres long, making it the largest river dolphin ever found. The discovery of this new species, Pebanista yacuruna, highlights the looming risks to the world’s remaining river dolphins, all of which face similar extinction threats in the next 20 to 40 years, according to the lead author of new research published in Science Advances today. Aldo Benites-Palomino said it belonged to the Platanistoidea family of dolphins commonly found in oceans between 24m and 16m years ago. Surviving river dolphins were “the remnants of what were once greatly diverse marine dolphin groups”, he said, which were thought to have left the oceans to find new food sources in freshwater rivers.

Continue Reading.

[paranormal-taters]

genuinely how do you STOP being the kind of person who accidentally makes eye contact for half a second too long with a kind and beautiful person and immediately envisions a future with them 😭 how do you stop being so utterly enchanted with someone in a barely-there moment that you spin that moment into a lifetime in your mind because at this point it's embarrassing. i need to become more jaded immediately.