Finding Fossils
Name three US states considered good places to find fossils.
Montana, Colorado, Wyoming, North/South Dakota, Utah, California, etc.
What is the most critical information to know about a fossil?
Location
Are most fossils in display in the museum real?
No
What is the name of the chisels we use to drill out matrix in the prep lab?
Air Scribes
Name two reasons why a specimen might be research worthy.
New species, anatomical significance, distribution
What is the name of the body of water that used to divide North America?
Western Interior Seaway
What major two things does a rock formation tell about a fossil?
Age/Time Period and Environment
What are three things to write down to catalogue a specimen?
ID, Locality, Classification, Picture, Museum Abb.
Name two reasons why we might need to do prep work on a fossil.
Still in matrix, disarticulated, brittle or delicate
What is the process of sending your manuscript to a journal to have others edit and revise it?
Peer Reviewing
Which type of rock in the rock cycle is usually best for finding fossils?
Sedimentary
What is a locality (in paleontology)?
A very specific location where fossils may be located.
How are fossils organized in the collections room?
Chronostratigraphically (Time and geologic location)
Why did the museum change the material used to make casts for fossils?
The former casts eroded and broke apart
How many times does a researcher usually need to send their paper before it gets approved to be published?
A lot (any number over three works)
What does a paleontologist need if they want permission to dig on public lands?
Paleontology Permit
Name two tools that we might use to retrieve a fossil embedded in a rock.
Chisel, pick, brush, etc.
What can you tell about a fossil with ID "RAM 2540"?
From the Raymond M. Alf Museum
Which substances do we use to glue fossils together?
Paraloid B-72, epoxies
Name three reasons why a fossil might be display-worthy.
What modern natural landmark was created after the Western Interior Seaway closed off?
A rock layer with aquatic animals has a rock layer with only land animals above it. What environmental effect might have caused this change?
Drying up of aquatic bodies, global cooling, etc.
What museum does either UCMP or AMNH stand for?
University of California Museum of Paleontology or American Museum of Natural History
What should you use if you accidentally incorrectly glue two fossils together with paraloid?
Apply acetone to dissociate the glue, then clean the fossil.
Do you like paleontology?
I love paleontology (Woohoo mandatory)!