Neat!
The diatom record indicates that Palaeolake Boreas was long lived (Ashworth et al. 2007). Restriction of the ostracods to a single horizon implies that their colonization was serendipitous, and that the lake was only temporarily viable.
Relatively rapid change? Or else they were on the edge as it was? The fact that they pyritized indicates low organic carbon and lots of reactive iron, so perhaps it wasn't a temperature change that killed them off...?
The ostracods were discovered by Richard Thomasson, an undergraduate student, during screening of the sediments in Ashworths laboratory at North Dakota State University.
Cool! I love it when undergrads make discoveries!
The details are extraordinary...Exceptionally, sub-micrometer-scale details such as setae and wrinkles are preserved as external moulds by coarse-grained coatings, but such resolution is typically associated with replacements by microcrystalline fabrics.
Global cooling sucks.
Global warming from Paleozoic SUV’s?
perhaps by the same birds that once sat in the trees
that left their stumps in the ground and fossilized bark
and leaves...after the birds flew back to where they migrated from?
Paleontologists from the United States and Argentina discovered one of the most complete plesiosaur skeletons ever found. (A plesiosaur is a swimming marine reptile that lived about 70 million years ago. At that time the waters of what is now Antarctica were much warmer than they are today.) The fossil plesiosaur was discovered during a 2005 expedition to Antarctica. The fossil goes on display today at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology's Museum of Geology.
This plesiosaur specimen is a juvenile of about 5 feet (1.5 meters) in length. An adult plesiosaur is about 32 feet (10 meters). It was perfectly articulated and complete, except that the skull had been lost to erosion. The plesiosaur was excavated from deposits of shallow marine sands covered by volcanic ash. Paleontologists speculate that the volcanic blast or debris thrown into the ocean was responsible for the plesiosaur's death...
Artist's impression of the plesiosaur and environment. Painting by Nicolle Rager, National Science Foundation.
Global cooling; the earth is freezing. We’re ALL GONNA DIE!
Protection has more people packing heat
From time to time, Ill ping on noteworthy articles about politics, foreign and military affairs. FReepmail me if you want on or off my list.
related:
Ancient Vegetation, Insect Fossils Found in Antarctica
Fox News
Posted on 08/05/2008 9:56:54 AM PDT by Scythian
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2056891/posts
http://www.physorg.com/news137089101.html
WHAT?!!! A global cooling disaster before mankind was around will help explain the predicted next global heating? For $500, Alex, who caused the freezing of Antartica? That would be: who is plate tectonics?
Folks, don’t forget continental drift. Antarctica always wasn’t there. The continents on the Earth MOVE, abet slowly. The question which should have also been addressed is where was Antarctica located when this fossil was formed?