Carnegie Museum of Natural History

One of the Four Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh

fossils

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A New Way to Study Climate Change

fossils from Invertebrate Paleontology fossils from Invertebrate Paleontology fossils from Invertebrate Paleontology

Students from Shady Side Academy Middle School studied our extensive fossil collection last week to learn about theories of climate, extinction, and evolution.

Albert Kollar, Section of Invertebrate Paleontology, used fossils from different periods of the Paleozoic era to show how trilobites changed and evolved over millions of years.

“Trilobites are popular with kids of any age and belong to a group of animals called arthropods
that include horseshoe crabs and insects,” said Mr. Kollar

The trilobites that the students touched and held come from the ancient rocks found today in the Czech Republic, France, Sweden, British Columbia, Missouri, New Mexico, New York, Utah, and Pennsylvania- the home of the 390 million year old state fossil of Pennsylvania.

Arriving at the Section of Invertebrate Paleontology lab, the students received a fossil coloring book to teach them about rocks and fossils in the Pittsburgh area. The class then split into smaller groups, each getting their own try at identifying rocks and fossils from Pennsylvania or making molds of different fossils from the collection with Plaster of Paris.

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Live from Antarctica!

Eric Dorfman and one of the many young aspiring paleontologists who attended
Eric Dorfman and one of the many young aspiring paleontologists who attended
The crowd at Forbes Digital Plaza for Live from Antartica!
The crowd at Forbes Digital Plaza for Live from Antartica!
Dr. Matt Lamanna shows the audience a fossil of a clam from Antarctica
Dr. Matt Lamanna shows the audience a fossil of a clam from Antarctica
Carnegie Museum of Natural History Director Dr. Eric Dorfman
Carnegie Museum of Natural History Director Dr. Eric Dorfman
Dino treats provided by Dunkin' Donuts
Dino treats provided by Dunkin’ Donuts
Members of Taylor Allderdice High School's band performed
Members of Taylor Allderdice High School’s band performed

Undeterred by rain, about 65 people attended Live from Antarctica! to ask a paleontologist on the southernmost continent questions about his search for fossils.

Using Skype and a large, high-definition digital screen, Dr. Matt Lamanna, Carnegie Museum of Natural History’s principal dinosaur researcher, answered questions from museum director, Dr. Eric Dorfman, and members of the audience on March 10 during the free community event at Forbes Digital Square in Oakland.

Along with a team of experts, Dr. LaManna is searching for fossils on the Antarctica Peninsula. He Skyped in from aboard the research vessel Nathaniel B. Palmer to talk about his work to answer questions about Antarctic weather, live animals he’s seen, fossils his team has found, and what he will bring back to our museum here in Pittsburgh.

Its summer in Antarctica, but Dr. Lamanna said weather has still been challenging with occasional snow, rain and fog. Interestingly, some of the fossils his expeditions have found have been of leaves, which he said indicate that the coldest continent was once covered in forests, much like Western Pennsylvania.

“It’s a great example of how environments can change over time,” Dr. Lamanna said. Because days and nights that far south are extended and shortened the changing seasons, he said there’s no contemporary equivalent of the ancient environment that existed there as the age of the dinosaurs ended.

“We’re unearthing an ancient ecosystem and bringing that ecosystem back to Pittsburgh,” he said.

Other fossils found include clams, fish, and even dinosaur bones. Dr. Lamanna said they’ll carefully pack and ship an estimated three to four tons of fossils back to Pittsburgh.

Visitors will be able to view many of the new specimens in the museum’s PaleoLab this summer.

Many thanks to Oakland Business Improvement District for helping put on the event, the Taylor Allderdice High School jazz band for a great performance, and Dunkin’ Donuts for passing out dino donuts.

Dr. Lamanna’s expedition ends next week, but you can see photos of his work, wildlife he’s seen and the stunning landscape of Antarctica by following the Carnegie Museum of Natural History on Instagram, Tumblr, Twitter and Facebook .

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AP3 Antarctica Peninsula Paleontology Project 2016

boats surrounded by chunks of ice

Q: What is the biggest anticipated challenge facing the expedition?

A: The thing that concerns us the most are the weather and climate conditions in our
study area. If it is very windy or foggy, our helicopters cannot fly.  If
there is fast ice stuck to the islands we want to visit, our small boats (i.e.,
landing craft) cannot reach them. If it snows, the rocks are covered, and so we
can’t find the fossils in them. Lots of different environmental factors could
pose problems for us. Other potential hazards include injuries, exhaustion,
frostbite, inability to find fossils in some places, and problems with
helicopters.

If you live in Pittsburgh, stop by tomorrow evening on 3/10/16 at 6 p.m. for Live from Antarctica at the corner of Forbes and South Bouquet in Oakland. You will be able to ask Dr. Matt Lamanna questions about his expedition from the field via a live video conference. Learn more at http://www.carnegiemnh.org/live_from_antarctica/

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AP3 Expedition 2016

Q: Will you be digging under deep layers of ice?

A: We will not be digging through ice for our expedition. Our expedition is timed for the end of the Austral summer, when most rock along the northernmost tip of the peninsula is readily available. There will be glaciers where we will be working but they will not be covering all of the islands where we will be working. Unfortunately, the possibility of a snow storm can still limit the amount of exposed rock with fossils.

Matt Lamanna, is a paleontologist and the principal dinosaur researcher at Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh. Matt and his team of researchers blog frequently from the field at antarticdinos.org.

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AP3 Expedition 2016

Antarctica

 

Q: How do you find fossils in Antarctica?

A: In brief, there are basically two ways by which one can determine where to look for fossils. The first has to do with the fact that most of the Earth’s surface has been mapped from a geological standpoint. Geologic maps show what rocks are exposed at the surface. Fossils are found almost exclusively in sedimentary rocks (e.g., shale, mudstone, sandstone) as opposed to igneous and metamorphic rocks. So the first step would be to examine the map for those. Next, for those interested in dinosaurs, scour the map for sedimentary rocks that were deposited during the Mesozoic Era or Age of Dinosaurs ( we know that dinos evolved more-or-less 235 million years ago and died out (except for their descendants, birds) 66 million years ago). So search the map for sedimentary rocks that were deposited during that time. Lastly, dinos were almost exclusively land-dwelling animals, so look for Mesozoic sedimentary rocks that were deposited in bodies of water that were near land (i.e., rivers, ponds, lakes, ocean coastlines). If all three criteria are met, and you can get to the place, you might have a fighting chance of finding dino fossils there.

The second way is simpler — you just go where people have found fossils before.

Matt Lamanna, is a paleontologist and the principal dinosaur researcher at Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh. Matt and his team of researchers blog frequently from the field at antarticdinos.org.

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AP3: Antarctica Peninsula Paleontology Project

Scientist Flying bird

February 15–18

We continued work on Sandwich Bluff and two helicopter-supported day trips to Seymour Island. Both of these areas produced an abundance of well-preserved Late Cretaceous and Eocene-aged fossils, including those of birds, plesiosaurs (long-necked marine reptiles; numerous isolated bones and at least one partial skeleton), bony fishes (including several skulls and partial skeletons), sharks, whales, unidentified vertebrates, and a variety of beautifully-preserved invertebrates (e.g., ammonites, nautiloids, gastropods, bivalves, crustaceans).

Matt Lamanna, is a paleontologist and the principal dinosaur researcher at Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh. Matt and his team of researchers blog frequently from the field at antarticdinos.org.