Friday, March 23, 2007

This week, on "Fossil Hunter"
















Today was a teacher work day, so we could enter semester grades. Ken is awesome and organized, so we were 100% done yesterday. I questioned the point of coming to school at all today, besides getting my mid-term evaluation... but I'm glad I went. For a couple of hours, I explored Ken's fossil and amber collection... which is expansive, to say the least.















Boxes and boxes! I pulled out a dissecting scope and examined a group of ants and a dragonfly in amber and dino bones. Below is dino-bone cross-section. He has a few very good specimins, several polished. They look like this--very beautiful, and colorful!














This is coprolite: dinosaur poop. If you ever see a chuck of rock that looks like poop that's been fossilized, it probably isn't. It's probably a mud formation. Ken has many of both.











He also told me all the best places in Oregon to find stuff just lying around! Most of his collection he's gathered himself, on the weekend, just hiking around. So, from now on, my backpacking trips are now FOSSIL HUNTS!

The fossil hunt for next weekend is still on, by the way. Anyone else coming with us?

3 comments:

Emily said...

Sounds like so much fun - I wish I could go. I love fossils!
They make my imagination go wild!

Jason and Emily said...

great photos. great adventure. I love seeing the world through your eyes.

Anonymous said...

Hey Aud I love this fossil post! ...Long live Australopithecus afarensis!!