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Showing results for tags 'alaska'.
Found 42 results
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True North: Hunting Fossils Under the Midnight Sun by Lou Marincovich, PhD
Lou M posted a topic in Fossil Literature
Greetings! I spent my career as a research paleontologist with the U.S. Geological Survey (Menlo Park, California) and the California Academy of Sciences (San Francisco), specializing in Cenozoic marine mollusks of the North Pacific and Arctic oceans. My summer fieldwork for 34 years was in Alaska, Siberia and northern Canada up toward the North Pole. Several times I had the indescribable thrill of being the first collector, perhaps the first human being, to visit a remote fossil site, reached by bush plane or helicopter. I was often dropped off to spend the day alone at remote sites up to 60 miles (100 kms) away. I had a number of extreme adventures, including killing an attacking grizzly with my only bullet, fending off a pack of wolves circling me, crashing in a helicopter, escaping a landslide by jumping into a passing river raft, and near-drownings in icy rivers. Of course, it was all worth it because of the fossils! My main work was documenting Cenozoic faunal and climate changes in the Arctic. However, my most notable accomplishment was solving the age-old mystery of Bering Strait’s age, which was featured on the cover of Nature. Most satisfying was discovering an unnamed river in remotest Alaska and naming it the Spirit River. I’m happy to say that my friend Warren Allmon, Director of the Paleontological Research Institution, wrote, “This memoir is a can’t-put-down page-turner, equal parts Jack London and Marincovich’s idol Roy Chapman Andrews. It is not just a rip-roaring adventure story; it also eloquently communicates both the intellectual thrill of scientific discovery and the emotional (and spiritual) energy derived from genuine exploration in some of the most challenging — and beautiful — environments on Earth.” He and other reviewers commented on the laugh-out-loud humor in my book. My book won a Bronze Medal in the Adventure category of a national book contest, and it has become an Amazon #1 Best Seller in its category. Reviews of my memoir are on Amazon.com and Goodreads.com I hope that fossil enthusiasts here enjoy reading about my adventures and research. My web site at www.loumarincovich.com has an array of photos from my fieldwork days and a list of my larger publications. Lou- 4 replies
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- arctic
- bering strait
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I never knew what a Thalatosaur was before! https://earthsky.org/earth/alaskan-fossil-reveals-new-marine-reptile-species
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- coastal fossil
- thalatosaur
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Hey everybody, I’m new to the forum and was hoping some of you have some thoughts on a few rock/fossils I have. I found all three of them on a gravel bar on a river in Interior Alaska. I believe the geology of the area is mostly quaternary. I believe the first specimen is part of a mammoth tooth. (A friend of mine found a mammoth scapula on the same stretch of the river.) A sedimentologist at the university in town is also leaning towards the opinion that it’s part of a mammoth tooth. I’ve never seen mammoth teeth have that type of coloration before though. The second sample looks to me like it could be a very weathered and replaced bone? The third specimen I’m really not sure about. It just looks very suspicious to me. I know it’s not one but It almost looks like a belemnite and is oddly polished and shiny for a rock in that area. Any thoughts and ideas would be great.
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This paper came out today. For those who saw my post of the palm leaf in both Alaska and the Smithsonian... this explains what I was doing in Fairbanks. I was up there for a total of five weeks stretched out over five winters. Yes, Winter in Fairbanks. I was hoping to see minus 40 degrees, but it never quite made it. I am "a fossil preparation specialist worked in two-week stints over the course of several years to get the fossil cleaned up and ready for study" https://news.uaf.edu/new-thalattosaur-species-discovered-in-southeast-alaska/?fbclid=IwAR0f-Lg4vDgE5MVuxP7wOL1V_CV3v142uy7Y9slvyNdH-xfE0t0AiZpp5Uw There is a paragraph about it Kirk Johnson and Ray Troll's latest book... "Cruising the Fossil Coastline"- 10 replies
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- thallatosaur
- triassic
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Hoping to head up to Alaska this next summer and would love to hunt for fossils. Does anyone know of a list of sites to start looking? Thanks!
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Found this a few years back. Didn’t know what it was so I took it to the local rock hounding club the retired geologists that attends said he didn’t know what it is and suggested possibly fossil due to the holes. the rock is oddly lightweight about 4 inches by 6 inches.
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Last week took a short drive (11 miles of road and 3 on beach) to our local fossil area. 99.9% of our finds are plant parts. Mostly Alder and Willow leaves with some Meta Sequoia tossed in. Some times a birch leaf will find its way in. In the right rocks I've found a number of what I believe are alder cones as well.. After I get back home I'll start working on IDs. Unfortunately the literature is scant but was given one that has some local info. Some planes will have single leaves in good shape. While others are stacked on top of each other but the leaves are damaged. It looks like they preserved after they started to rot. There are other areas with a wider selection of leaves but you have to take a boat. And with our tide changes (between 7-25ft) it can take some planning. I will add more once back home and can work on more photos
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- anchor point
- beach
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The First Definite Lambeosaurine Bone From the Liscomb Bonebed of Upper Cretaceous Prince Creek Formation, Alaska is presented in this paper. Nothing spectacular just from a cool place Article https://www.eurekalert.org/multimedia/pub/197034.php Paper https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-41325-8?fbclid=IwAR0RTstNFgb9CWp6GdNEmGxb52k-44JZ5WfQMds2KgmFjY_mQc8wLF0BoP8
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- lambeosaurine
- alaska
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A friend picked up a fossil on the beach at Fossil Island, Alaska about 15 years ago. He's always thought it was a leaf, but I think it looks more like a shell.
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Cool paper for those interested in the Ceratopsian, Pachyrhinosaurus Darren Tanke "This was discussed some time ago and of interest to several artists awaiting the "new look" of Pachyrhinosaurus perotorum. Paper on revised frill morphology of Pachyrhinosaurus perotorum by Tykoski et al., 2019 here. Well, it turns out the "new look" is much like the "old look" in other pachyrhinosaurs; the frill looks much like that in P. lakustai and that speculated on in P. canadensis." Tykoski 2019 Journal of Systematic Palaeontology.pdf
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- campanian
- pachyrhinosaurus pertorum
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I found a few fossils while on a hunting trip. The fossil Im most curious about is in the first 2 pictures. Any Idea what it might be? Third picture seems like obvious marine fossils.
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- river bed
- brooks range
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Hi everyone- I have a juvenile mammoth tusk that I would like to learn how to stabilize and restore. The problem is I have (almost) no idea how to even start! The tusk is fully dried out, but it’s split down the middle. I need some advice! Here’s what I know has to be done: 1. Clean the outside and inside as much as possible without using water- any suggestions on what to use? 2. Superglue the two pieces together and use hose clamps to hold the two pieces together- any suggestions on glue/method? 3. Fill gaps/cracks with epoxy- any suggestions on a good type? 4. Sand sand sand! 5. Beyond this point I’m not sure- is there some sort of protective varnish people use? I’m sure I’m missing about a dozen crucial steps here- I have literally never tried anything like this before, so any advice would be greatly appreciated. I posted some photos of the tusk, and I will post photos of progress! Thanks everyone.
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Southeast Alaskans, visitors find awe and friendship in fossil hunting Posted by Alanna Elder, July 23, 2018 https://www.kfsk.org/2018/07/23/southeast-alaskans-visitors-find-awe-and-friendship-in-fossil-hunting/ Geologic Map of Baranof Island, Southeastern Alaska https://pubs.usgs.gov/sim/3335/ Yours, Paul H.
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Picked this up in a little shop while vacationing in Alaska. Would love to get more information on this. All help is appreciated.
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Where are mammoth fossils in Alaska found?
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Hello forum, I hope this is OK to post here. I haven't been on the forum much for the last couple years, since I started graduate studies in archaeology, but I have a mystery I think the FF is uniquely qualified to solve. At the Burke Museum at the University of Washington (Seattle, USA), in the collections is a Yup'ik pouch that is covered with a very small bone (4mm x 1-2mm) used as a form of decoration. The bag originates from SW Alaska. The elements appear to be bones, but maybe shells or teeth. Some extremely knowledgeable individuals have been stumped by this so we're trying a little crowdsourcing. Any help or suggestions would be appreciated. I've attached one photo of the elements, but there are a bunch here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/yJdKozUxGd2uNmar1 Thanks for your help! Dave
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Hello! I am taking a trip up to Alaska to visit my dad. He really wants to go and apttempt to find some fossils. The goal is something other than plant species, something like gastropods, ammonites, etc. We will be anywhere from Wasilla, Ak area to Seward during our trip. Any spot suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Thanks guys!
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Was the Ice Age Bering Land Bridge a good place to live?
Oxytropidoceras posted a topic in Fossil News
Was the Bering Land Bridge a good place to live? By Ned Rozell, University of Alaska Fairbanks, February 24, 2018 https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/science/2018/02/24/was-the-bering-land-bridge-a-good-place-to-live/ Was the ice age's Bering Land Bridge a good place to live? By Ned Rozell, University of Alaska Fairbanks, February 28, 2018 http://www.valdezstar.net/story/2018/02/28/main-news/was-the-ice-ages-bering-land-bridge-a-good-place-to-live/1842.html Yours, Paul H.-
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- bering land bridge
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Hi, all. Total rookie here. I found this on the beach of an island in Alaska's Inside Passage several years ago and have often wondered what it is. There seem to be many genuine experts here, so I'm grateful for any help! It's strongly curved on one side of its cross-section and much flatter on the other side. Thanks!
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I got this off eBay as an impulse purchase. It was described as a mammoth bone from Alaska, but I don't know what bone. What am I looking at? Thanks, Matt
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Ancient Alaskan Genome Reveals Founding Population of Native Americans
Oxytropidoceras posted a topic in Fossil News
In the Bones of a Buried Child, Signs of a Massive Human Migration to the Americas by Carl Zimmer, New York times, https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/03/science/native-americans-beringia-siberia.html Discovery of Unknown Ancient Population Changes Our Understanding of How North America Was Settled George Dvorsky, Gizmodo, Janaury 3, 2018 https://gizmodo.com/discovery-of-unknown-ancient-population-changes-our-und-1821739886 The First Americans: Ancient DNA Rewrites Settlement Story By Mindy Weisberger, January 3, 2018 https://www.livescience.com/61319-dna-first-americans-lineage.html Ancient Native American 'Twins' Had Different Mothers By Tia Ghose, LiveScience, October 26, 2015 https://www.livescience.com/52582-alaskan-burials-genetic-history.html The paper is: Moreno-Mayar, J. V., and others, 2018, Terminal Pleistocene Alaskan genome reveals first founding population of Native Americans. Nature. http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nature25173 https://www.nature.com/articles/nature25173 Yours, Paul H.-
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- genome
- pleistocene
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sizetheropusapalaiosOntootroodontologgigant_the_Occurrence_of_Exceptionally_Large.pdf
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- alaska
- dinosauria
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Very new to the fossil game and i need some help. Think i came to the right place! Found this on a hike in SE Alaska and i think its petrified wood. Thoughts? Thanks!
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Mammoth Tusks, Stable Isotopes, and Diet, Kikiakrorak River, Alaska
Oxytropidoceras posted a topic in Fossil News
Seeking clues by slicing 20,000-year-old mammoth tusks Ned Rozell, Alaska Dispatch News, September 3, 2017 https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/science/2017/09/02/seeking-clues-by-slicing-20000-year-old-mammoth-tusks Yours, Paul H.-
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- stable isotopes
- alaska
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I work at a small placer (gold) mine in the interior of Alaska, and we routinely find mammoth ivory. Sometimes just small pieces, sometimes complete tusks. I have purchased one from my employer, and try as I might, I have been unable to find any information on curing, or drying, the tusk before treating with butvar-76 or similar. This tusk is over nine feet long, weighs 85#, and is a beautiful specimen from a mature female wooly mammoth. The bark is a rich mahogany color, mottled with blue and ivory patches. It is obviously worth a small fortune, and I would like to preserve it as best as possible. Other tusks I have seen, will crack and deform as they dry. I want to minimize this as much as possible. I have heard of techniques such as banding with hose clamps, wrapping with burlap and keeping moist, even burying for a period of time, or a combination of these. What have others done with large tusks? How much moisture is acceptable before treating with acetone and butvar-76? Will the solution draw out moisture from deep inside the tusk, or will that water remain trapped there? This one has been out of the ground for less than two weeks. Thanks for any help! Here's another, my tusk is the one in the foreground.
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