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Dan,
Here is the information you requested from Carrie. She forwarded you message
to me. The Museum's web address is
http://www/sdsmt.edu/services/museum/museum1.htm. When you bring up the
site and look at the Staff email addresses mine is incorrect at this time.
The correct address is rfonteno@msmailgw.sdsmt.edu.
If you have anymore questions or we can be of help to you here at the Museum
please do not hesitate to contact the Museum of Geology.
Thank you,
Ruth Fontenot-Prince
Secretary Museum of Geology
FIELD PALEONTOLOGY Spring & Summer 1999
Museum of Geology
South Dakota School of Mines and Technology
Learn by doing. Participate in the scientific excavation of important
paleontological sites in the Black Hills region and Pacific Northwest.
Choose a project for at least one week, preferably two: Participants will be
in small groups working closely with the scientists involved. May be taken
for academic credit.
May 10 to 21 Fossil Lake, Oregon Fossil mammals, fish, and birds from the
late Pleistocene on the historic trail of Professors Condon and Cope, an
excellent intro to paleontology with James Martin.
June 14 to 25 Late Cretaceous Dinosaurs and other vertebrates from
Northwestern South Dakota led by the enthusiastic Michael T. Greenwald
July 5 to 16 Jurassic Dinosaurs and Mammals I or July 19 to 30 Jurassic
Dinosaurs and Mammals II near Sundance, Wyoming. The "found" world of
Camarasaurus and Allosaurus and tiny primitive mammals are present at this
exciting locality. James Martin and Darrin Pagnac
July 12 to 23 Monster Marine Reptile Go "Cretaceous sea fishing" and
excavate and document skeletons of fierce sea serpents and their prey. Camp
on the prairie south of the Black Hills with Dr. Gorden L. Bell and
experience the ambience for learning he creates in the field.
July 19 to 30 Giant Pigs and Rhinos in Badlands National Park, excavate a
tangle of Archaeotherium and Subhyracodon in the classic White River
Badlands Carrie L. Herbel
July 26 to August 6 The Unwily Coyote Site, a series of fissure and cave
deposit in the northern Black Hills that is producing camels, coyotes, and a
diverse assemblage of tiny vertebrates. The setting is especially
conducive for field work. Philip Bjork
August 2 to 16 Marine turtles, mosasaurs, and plesiosaurs from the Late
Cretaceous. Excavations along the Missouri River near Chamberlain, South
Dakota James Martin, David Parris, and Gorden Bell A follow-up session
Aug 16-27 is also available.
For more information CALL 1-800-544-8162 ext. 2467
or WRITE Dr. Philip Bjork, Director/ Ruth
Fontenot-Prince, Secretary
Museum of Geology
501 E. Saint Joseph St.
Rapid City, SD 57701
OR email
pbjork@msmailgw.sdsmt.edu
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Field Paleontology is a two week experience that is designed to introduce
students and interested persons to the procedures of preserving and
documenting fossil discoveries. You may participate for two weeks as a
college course for 2 semester credits or just for the educational experience
with no college credit. We emphasize the fact that fossils are information
so the geologic context of fossils as well as the distribution of fossils at
a given site are meticulously recorded. Although the program is based in
Rapid City, South Dakota, with the Museum of Geology, each session is taught
in the field in places that are of current interest to research undertaking
at the Museum of Geology. Rapid City is accessible by commercial airlines,
buses, and the Interstate system.
The field sessions are taught at various times of the summer months of June,
July, and August. You should have already received, or will be receiving
our list of expeditions for the Summer of 1999. Our climate is continental
in character which means that it can be quite hot (>40 Celsius) and
sometimes bone-chilling cool. Rain is possible but seldom interferes with
the work for very long. The best advice on clothing is to have layers of
clothing so that you can be comfortable from 5 to 40o C. A hat to keep sun
off, sunglasses, and sunscreen are helpful. Other materials necessary
include glasses that protect your eyes while chipping rocks, a rock hammer,
a 2 inch wide natural bristle paint brush, gloves, a small chisel, and a
sharp awl. Canteen for water on hot days, a camera to record your
experience, a notebook and pen to record observations, and a sense of humor
make this a very rewarding experience.
Hotel accommodations can be obtained for many of the sessions or camping is
another alternative. Camping is usually done at commercial campgrounds and
food is purchased nearby. A small tent that is capable of withstanding
strong wind and a sleeping bag with a mat to soften the ground are
advisable. Cooking arrangements vary with group leader so you will know
more when you choose a specific course.
Sessions are two weeks long and begin with meeting in Rapid City unless
other arrangements are made. Your instructor will designate the time and
place to meet. The Museum provides transportation to the research area and
base camp. The first day will be spent with an orientation session for
participants. Thereafter, the group will assemble each morning at a
specified time (different group leaders operate on different schedules) with
all materials necessary to get them through the day, water, lunches, tools,
and notebooks. After a brief review of the goals for that day, the
participants will then drive to the site or area that is being investigated.
During the day breaks may be taken as a group. Lunch is at mid-day, and we
usually wind up at about 4:30 - 5:00 pm before the drive back to camp or
hotel. The exact nature of the day may vary if the goal for the day is to
search out new sites or to spend the day in a quarry working on a specimen
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