We went all over this part of New York on Saturday collecting fossils. I have some that I brought back to show, and here are some pictures of where we went. I'll have more soon. We saw mainly brachiopods (which are clam-like creatures), clams, and crinoids (commonly called sea lillies, they are animals that lived at the bottom of ancient seas and were filter feeders). Exciting stuff! We were looking at rocks that were about 359 million years old, which dates back to the end of the Devonian. Back then, most of the continents were in the southern hemisphere. There was a mass extinction at the end of the Devonian, and we were looking at the possible causes and effects of that. Good times!
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9 comments:
Have you gone to the site in Lansing?
There are fossils in Lansing? Hold me back! Where?
Oh yes...Portland Point. Take a left on the road leading to Cargill Salt Mine. We went there for a CIBT field trip...great place for trilobites and brachiopods.
I didn't come on for a day or so, because, well, I didn't to hold you back....and because I kept forgetting to ask Chuck, my husband (for the students- Mr. Syracuse knows), what it's called.
Thank goodness Mr. Devoe came on knew!! So, no holding back now-- let's go!
There's also a great place next to Camp Gregory and you've been invited, but nooooooooooooo, won't come visit!
Are you impressed with what the lowly English teacher knows?
Mr. Syracuse, I have a decently large bone to pick with you on the supposed age of those fossils you were looking at.
I've checked my facts, and the Devonian period does indeed end about 359 million years ago. But please correct me if I have made a mistake! Also, not all the pictures in the post are of Devonian rocks; some are more recent.
Oh, don't worry. I'm quite sure YOUR calculations are right according to YOUR timelines. It wasn't that I didn't think the Devonian period ended approximately 359 million years ago. However, I'm not sure it would be best to engage on a discussion on that topic here. A face-to-face conversation might do this topic a little more justice.
I am always open to having an academic discussion about the history of earth. Please see me at any convenient time and we can talk. To clarify, the timescale to which I refer is not my timescale. It is the timescale of the international commission on stratigraphy, a body of scientists from all over the world who have studied fossils and the rock record to determine how old they are. I've created a new post on my blog with a link to a copy of the timescale.
Anonymous, if you would like, I'm always open to a face-to-face discussion. I feel that discussions with people whose views are different than our own is the only way to truly understand the world.
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