Ichthyosaur squamosal

There can’t be many people who get a dentists pick for their Easter present – but this year I joined their ranks. It’s rapidly proved indispensible. I’ve mostly used it on this;

I found it on Monmouth beach, Lyme Regis, UK. It was quite far down the beach at Severn Rock Point and I almost didn’t take it back to the car – it was a choice between that and a nautilus I found that day – they were both heavy. I knew it was bone but I didn’t think it could be identified and it spend some time sitting in my collection (i.e. on my desk).

This spring I spent the weekend volunteering at the Lyme fossil festival (see website here) and I took to along to ask some of the multitude of experts there. It was identified by Richard Edmounds of the Jurassic coast team (Seen here on the fossilfestival photo stream) and Scott Moore-Fay who had just spent a year preparing the Weymouth pliosaur (see here). Tthe newly prepared fossil will be unveiled to the public in July at the Dorset County Muesum. They identified it was an ichthyosaur squamosal bone – from the back of the skull – and suggested I removed some of the loose matrix with a pin (but I have my trusty pick!). This spurred me onto have a go at it myself. As you can see I have removed a bit of matrix;

 

It’s getting tough work now and is damaging my wrist (I have an RSI type injury). I’m trying to get some paraoid B72 solution as the bone is getting a bit crumbly on places and needs protection before I do anymore. 

Apologies for the poor shots – my camera is only a basic one and struggles with most things. 

Finally here are some pictures of ichthyosaur vertebrae (cm ruler for scale) I’ve found at different times on the beach at Lyme Regis and Charmouth – just because ichthyosaurs are cool.

For more information on the geology of Monmouth beach (or the rest of the Dorset coast) see Ian West’s excellent website http://www.soton.ac.uk/~imw/Lyme-Regis-Westward.htm

Monster quest and cryptozoology

I’ve always thought that if my geology career doesn’t go well I could always drop out and try to become a cryptozoologist.  I’m especially interested in lake monsters like Loch Ness – I don’t really believe in them but I find the level of sophistication that has gone into searching for evidence fascinating especially as it is done mostly by ammeters.  But sometimes I just find theories that are absolutely hilarious - my favourite is this episode of monster quest which makes me laugh out loud.

Monster Quest - The Last Dinosaur

I know a short documentary can never put across the whole story of the search but take note these points;

-a local with ‘virtually no contact with the outside word’ wearing manufactured western clothes – I think one of them had a play station shirt. 
-a burrowing sauropod with a Diplodocus type body shape that has dug into the river bank and buried itself. With sauropod toes.

-searching for a dinosaur that is hibernating and feeding at the same time.

-trying to use an underwater camera in that level of silt.

-tiptoeing sauropod footprints

I do find it disturbing that it is presented as factual television but imagine if there was a sauropod still alive in Africa, a sea serpent in Lake Okanagan, and plesiosaurs in Loch Ness and Lake Champlain– wouldn’t that be AMAZING!

Literature

I always get excited when I come across things that reference fossils- my favourite Margery Allingham book mentions an ichthyosaur excavation - only in passing a couple of times – but enough to endear it to me. John Fowles’ ‘The French Lieutenant’s Woman’ is also a favourite of mine – its set in Lyme Regis which is near where I grew up and one of my favourite fossil hunting haunts. Charles Dickens also mentions a Megalosaurus in the opening paragraph of Bleak House – this I’ve yet to read.

Recently I have come across songs featuring geology - the first 2 from They might be giants;

I Am a Palaeontologist - They Might Be Giants w/Danny Weinkauf

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7zo2zY1Zqg

TMBG ~ Nine Bowls Of Soup - Puppet Johns Older

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKH8lBu_00E

 

And this which I think I saw linked on Mountain beltway – be warned I cant get this song out of my head now!

Tiktaalik (Your Inner Fish)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9h1tR42QYA

Finally some fossils.

Today I went to the royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh to get some fresh air away from the city. I, of course, visited the fossil tree; Here it is in close up - Pitus withami a Carboniferous swamp forrest tree. I was found locally at Craigleith Quarry which is now a shopping centre - but I may visit the site and see if any of the outcrop is still exposed. Here it is in pride of place in front of the glasshouses.

Beside it is some less spectacular root. This is Lepidodendron. I didn't see any note of where it was found but the colour suggests it was a different locality. This remind me of my plan to visit the fossil grove in Glasgow. Its never been very highly advertised - in fact when I lived an hours dive form Glasgow I didn't know about it (I wasn't so heavily interested in fossils at the time). Here is the only official website I can find. If I can find the train fare this is defiantly on the list for this summer!

There are also some ‘living fossils’ on display with a great collection of monkey puzzle trees on the other side of the greenhouses.

Here's a view I was delighted to find - you can see across to Cartlon Hill and Arthur's seat.

As I was leaving I saw the most fantastic but in this Delphinium I had to photograph it.

 

 

David Attenborough's Life Stories

I'm really enjoying the repeat of David Attenborough's Life Stories on radio 4. Its a long series and I keep missing them but the stories of his fossiling past are fascinating. This weeks is about an excentric naturalist (among other things) Squire Waterton. It's also available as a podcast.

Using religion to solve stability problems with pinhole camera

I have a new toy - a pinhole camera. Here is a selection from my first attempt at pictures;



This is a model of orthoclase structure seen at an exhibition of 'objects of education'.
It's made of cardboard and its difficult to keep still while opening and closing the shutter it needs something to keep it stable.

Solution? I have a new film and will soon find out.