Top Trilo Posted May 12 Share Posted May 12 I watched the Dinosaur Apocalypse videos on PBS narrated by David Attenborough, link to TFF thread posted here, http://www.thefossilforum.com/index.php?/topic/123230-tv-tonight/&tab=comments#comment-1345385 I will let others debate the specifics in the other thread, I don't have the experience to criticize/celebrate any of it. Something I noticed in the second video, The Last Day, was this map of the United States depicting the Western Interior Seaway at 17:44 in the video. Here are a few cities in the area I plotted. Everything else I had heard and all the other maps I've seen have shown the Western Interior Seaway much farther east than this map, east of the Rocky Mountains, running north to south through the great plains. Is there something I missed? It seems like a fairly large error seeing as the Western Interior Seaway played an important part in the videos. I'd appreciate any and all help, thank you. Link to post Share on other sites
DPS Ammonite Posted May 12 Share Posted May 12 The map that you posted is a snapshot of what the Western Interior Seaway (WIS) may have looked like at a specific time. The maximum extent of the WIS over time is much larger and can be estimated by the marine Cretaceous rocks in the area. See: https://www.cretaceousatlas.org/geology/ 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Top Trilo Posted May 12 Author Share Posted May 12 12 minutes ago, DPS Ammonite said: The map that you posted is a snapshot of what the Western Interior Seaway (WIS) may have looked like at a specific time. The maximum extent of the WIS over time is much larger and can be estimated by the marine Cretaceous rocks in the area. See: https://www.cretaceousatlas.org/geology/ I know the WIS existed for a long time and changed over that period but I have never seen it entirely west of where the Colorado Rocky Mountains are now, as the image above depicts. Link to post Share on other sites
Randyw Posted May 12 Share Posted May 12 I don’t know if this will help or not but nebraska was under water the ENTIRE time of the dinosaurs so at the time shown on the program this picture is pretty inaccurate….. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Creek - Don Posted May 13 Share Posted May 13 This may be questionable, but fun to look at. https://dinosaurpictures.org/ancient-earth#90 Link to post Share on other sites
Wrangellian Posted May 13 Share Posted May 13 I saw that show too and noticed the map, but I did not assume it was supposed to be accurate, as they often are not in TV shows - just meant to give you an idea of what it might have looked like from space. How did you know where to plot the cities, are you looking at the vague landforms visible on either side, and are they about where they are in the present day? (Kind of looks like the Rockies and the Basin and Range region there, I guess) Link to post Share on other sites
Top Trilo Posted May 13 Author Share Posted May 13 11 hours ago, Wrangellian said: I saw that show too and noticed the map, but I did not assume it was supposed to be accurate, as they often are not in TV shows - just meant to give you an idea of what it might have looked like from space. How did you know where to plot the cities, are you looking at the vague landforms visible on either side, and are they about where they are in the present day? (Kind of looks like the Rockies and the Basin and Range region there, I guess) I did the opposite and assumed it was supposed to be accurate since it was documenting the Tanis site, the fossils found their, and the hypothesis about what happened when the meteor struck from the evidence. Its not Jurassic Park which is made to be an action heavy entertaining movie. When you compare the map to satellite images it becomes rather obvious that the map is of America now, not what it looked like in the Cretaceous at all, just with some water overlaid to show the coastline which isn't accurate. Here's a google earth photo of the same area, you can see the same mountains and landforms and even the same rivers and forested area. Link to post Share on other sites
jpc Posted Friday at 05:59 PM Share Posted Friday at 05:59 PM Interesting catch on their use of modern aerial view to reconstruct a very different topography on the last day of the Cretaceous. But, good job to you; you placed Casper in the right place. I can see myself waving to the satellite. 2 Link to post Share on other sites
Wrangellian Posted Friday at 10:57 PM Share Posted Friday at 10:57 PM (edited) Yes, it does look like they used that modern view of the Earth and laid down some water on it. If they were trying to show an accurate map I think it would look closer to the other reconstructions of the WIS that have been posted above, but as it is I stand by my "rough impression for TV audiences" theory! Edited Friday at 10:58 PM by Wrangellian Link to post Share on other sites
Top Trilo Posted Friday at 11:20 PM Author Share Posted Friday at 11:20 PM It would have been just as easy to put it in the correct place as putting it in the wrong place though. Link to post Share on other sites
Wrangellian Posted Saturday at 01:03 AM Share Posted Saturday at 01:03 AM 1 hour ago, Top Trilo said: It would have been just as easy to put it in the correct place as putting it in the wrong place though. Maybe not easy enough for them... As I said, I've come to not expect accurate maps in TV shows (even Nova or Nature) unless it's of critical importance to the story, as they know 99.9% of the audience won't know the difference. I share your frustration, though. Link to post Share on other sites
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