Re: The (long) future of paleontology

[Dann Pigdon <dannj@alphalink.com.au>]

Cliff Green wrote:
> 
>     I don't know about the rest of the world, but here in Utah, the amount
> of unretrieved fossil material is staggering. I can't even begin to estimate
> how many decades or centuries it would take to dig up and discribe all of
> the quarrys just here in Eastern Utah. 

That's assuming of course that digging will still be required in the
future. Subsurface remote sensing techniques may well become accurate
and precise enough to never have to get your hands dirty (or bloody)
ever again. 

Of course, such technology won't be perfected to this degree for a while
(despite the opening sequences of Jurassic Park, which seemed to show
some sort of sonic device rather than the 'ground penetrating radar'
mentioned in the dialogue).

--
___________________________________________________________________

Dann Pigdon
GIS / Archaeologist         http://heretichides.soffiles.com
Melbourne, Australia        http://www.geocities.com/dannsdinosaurs
___________________________________________________________________