Day:
20 August 2007
Location: Base Camp, South Dakota
Entry by: Robert DePalma
The majority of paleontological field work, surprisingly enough,
does not involve actually working on fossil specimens. In order
for paleontologists to have access to the bone-bearing strata,
all of the rock above the strata must be removed. This sometimes
amounts to removing tons of raw material. The unused waste rock
that lays over the bone-bearing strata is generally called overburden.
Today, Feeney and I removed overburden from a 27 foot long, 6 foot
wide section of the dig site, to expose the strata that we are
using in our study of the area. The overburden was uniformly about
3.5 to 4 feet thick over the entire area, so there was a lot of
material to move. However, before we could even begin to remove
rock and conglomerate, we had to dislodge and remove the top layer
of plants and prairie grass. This task might sound rather simple,
but the root mat of the prairie grass forms an impenetrable zone
approximately 6 to 10 inches thick, and must be cut with a pick
axe. Just to give you an idea of how durable this layer is, pieces
of it were actually used by the old settlers of the prairie to
make their sod houses.
Once the overburden was all gone, then the detailed work could
begin. Bones in the lower strata of the sequence are sorted by
size, and occur in oblong lenses. Though our glue was running out,
we were able to stabilize and remove remains of Cretaceous turtle
shells, petrified wood, fragments of gar fish and fresh water rays,
and crocodilians were all discovered. About ten other bone tips
were seen just barely exposed along the edge of the outcrop, but
those will be taken care of tomorrow.
The evening was pleasant until terrible storms rolled into camp.
High winds in excess of 53 mph howled through camp as the tents
were pelted with rain. We can only hope that enough rain accompanies
the storm; if not, the risk of prairie fire will be high. Though
at the moment, our thoughts are turned to our own health, which
could be degrading into painful sinus infections.
Day:
21 August 2007
Location: Base Camp, South Dakota
Entry by: Robert DePalma
As was feared, there was much lightning last night and little rain
after midnight. This morning, the horizon was hazy with smoke,
and the smell of smoke was pungent in the air. If the prairie fires
were more localized and easier to find, we would have assisted
in fighting them. However, this was such a widespread event that
finding the source would be impossible. We will continue work at
the site as soon as it dries out.
The latter half of the day, we continued up at the dig site. Working
around the log that Feeney found, we discovered several large dinosaur
ribs, a claw and possibly a femur of a large species of tortoise,
and the pubis of a juvenile duckbilled dinosaur called Edmontosaurus.
A quick evening stroll down the valleys produced some turn-of-the-century
mammal skeletons weathering out of modern sediments, and some
intriguing artifacts from the late 1800’s such as crockery,
metal items and glass bottles.
Day: 22 August, 2007
Location: Base Camp, South Dakota
Entry by: Robert DePalma
The weather (and our health) took a turn for the worst. Temperature
plummeted to the low 50’s during the day, low 40’s
at night, and a slow, constant drizzle occurred all day long,
precluding work. Feeney and I are both suffering from sinus
infections and
congestion, which we are treating with the limited medicines
we have at camp. We can only hope tomorrow will be better,
and that
the site will dry out quickly.
Date: 25 August 2007
Location: Base Camp, South Dakota
Entry by: Robert DePalma
Yesterday we journeyed south to Belle Fourche, on our scheduled
weekly supply run. While running necessary errands, we were informed
of a quaint city festival planned for the weekend. The annual Riverfest
was being held along the banks of the Belle Fourche River, and
would be one of the most engaging activities in the area. The Palm
Beach Museum was invited to have a booth at the festival, and naturally
we accepted the invitation!
Feeney and I prepared for our activities booth and set up several
educational stations for the public. In addition to identifying
various rocks and minerals that people brought to us, we set up
dig boxes for the children. By far the most popular activity there,
the children spent hours digging for fossils with some of the very
tools we use in the field. First-hand events that bring us face
to face with the public are fantastic, as we can finally put our
passion for education and teaching to work. Who knows what future
mayors, governors, physicians, etc we might have met among that
group of children?
As it came time for us to leave and head back to camp, the mayor
of Belle Fourche, the honorable Mr. Schneider, thanked us for coming
and offered his sincerest encouragement for the Palm Beach Museum.
In the evening, back at camp, the coyotes began coming down from
the hills and circling camp. At first only their distant cries
could be heard, carried by the wind, but soon they came closer
and could be seen on the outskirts of our outpost. Sleeping with
one hand on my bowie knife and one eye open, I saw the pack of
coyotes circle the camp like a dozen sharks around a meal. However,
by morning they left without incident. This time, at least.
Date: 26 August 2007
Location: Base Camp, South Dakota
Entry by: Robert DePalma
In the morning the coyotes came back briefly, but scurried
off at the first hints of daylight. Feeney had begun to recover
from
our illness, but today it has relapsed into an agonizing
ordeal. I am supplementing my medication with old Native American
techniques,
utilizing the natural remedies growing on the prairie. Making
teas with yarrow and a certain type of sage, and other techniques
taught
to me by Native American elders, I hope to be on the road
to recovery before long.
The site is very wet from recent rain storms, but we were
able to safely recover bones from juvenile Edmontosaurs and
more turtle
shell fragments. Also, 150 feet down the cliff, we recovered
some spectacular Cretaceous amber. Amber is somewhat rare
in this formation
and is not often found in large quantities. The amber site
we located years ago has produced many useful pieces of amber
that will hopefully
hold clues to reconstruct the paleo climate and paleobotany
of the area.
Date: 28 August 2007
Location: Base Camp, South Dakota
Entry by: Robert DePalma
Work in the morning was impossible due to rain. Sky is cloudy,
weather is in the low 50’s and high 40’s. I am
now running a fever of 103.5, but work must continue as long
as weather
permits. Feeney and I managed to clear more overburden and
remove the large fossil log that he found earlier in the season,
but
we could not accomplish much more than that, given the conditions.
However, many more bone ends were seen peeking out of the matrix,
and following them back will undoubtedly lead to more bones.
Soon
we will be able to upload a stratigraphic profile and bone
map of the site for you to view.
