Friends of Dinosaur Dreaming may now be contacted at:
Friends of Dinosaur Dreaming
PrimeSci!
c/- School of Geosciences
Building 28, Clayton Campus
Monash University 3800
Monday, 14 January 2013
Saturday, 12 January 2013
Fossil Penguins
Dig volunteer Travis Park has written a review of Australian fossil penguins with Museum Victoria's Dr Erich Fitzgerald. Check it out at http://museumvictoria.com.au/pages/41623/momv-2012-vol-69-pp309-325.pdf.
Wednesday, 9 January 2013
New book by Dr Tony Martin
Tony Martin, who has described footprints and burrows from the Victorian Cretaceous has a new book out - Life Traces of the Georgia Coast. And books have trailers these days - check it out at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ttk3vhuWDLo&feature=youtu.be.
Monday, 7 January 2013
From the Archives - Croc Blocks
One of the other projects that some members of Dinosaur Dreaming crew have been working on is Croc Blocks.
In 2003, Museum Victoria was contacted by the owners of an oil shale mine outside Gladstone. They had uncovered a large number of 40 million year old turtle and crocodile fossils. A team was sent up and spent 3-4 weeks excavating 37 blocks of fossil material. They brought them back to the museum and Monash University for processing. Volunteers from both institutions have been figuring out what is in them ever since. In 2005, Lucas Buchanan identified the crocodile as belonging to the genus Mekosuchinae.
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| A Croc Block with a skull we nicknamed Gladys |
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| Mary works on the block in 2004 |
In 2003, Museum Victoria was contacted by the owners of an oil shale mine outside Gladstone. They had uncovered a large number of 40 million year old turtle and crocodile fossils. A team was sent up and spent 3-4 weeks excavating 37 blocks of fossil material. They brought them back to the museum and Monash University for processing. Volunteers from both institutions have been figuring out what is in them ever since. In 2005, Lucas Buchanan identified the crocodile as belonging to the genus Mekosuchinae.
From the Archives - 100th Anniversary
I've been converting my old snaps into digital images and came across some of our celebration of the hundredth anniversary of the first dinosaur bone found in Australia. For those who don't know the story, on 7th May 1903 Bill Ferguson found a dinosaur bone near Eagle's Nest whilst mapping the coast and prospecting for coal. He tentatively identified it as a tooth but, once experts got a look, it became known as the Cape Paterson Claw.
We don't know if Mr Ferguson really wore a kilt whilst prospecting, but he was of Scottish origin...
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| Tom and Lesley with the Cape Paterson Claw |
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| Mike Cleeland as Bill Ferguson (with Nick) |
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| 100th birthday cake |
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| "Bill Ferguson" holding court |
We don't know if Mr Ferguson really wore a kilt whilst prospecting, but he was of Scottish origin...
Saturday, 5 January 2013
2013 Field Season
Plans for the 2013 Flat Rocks Field Season are well underway. We've locked on a very big crew roster, with lots of experienced returnees and some very enthusiastic newbies, The dig starts on Saturday February 2nd, but the low tide is fairly early in the morning so we will probably send only a very small advance party to site. Friends day is slated for Sunday February 17th (Not a friend? Join here.), and the dig finishes up on Saturday February 23rd (although we will packing up the house and not at site that day).
As regular readers of this blog are aware, we can only work on site 3-4 hours either side of low tide, so if anyone is wanting to wander past us on the beach to see what we're doing should contact the Bunurong Environment Centre or the Inverloch Visitor Information Centre to figure out when we are likely to be working.
The plans for the Cape Otway dig are not yet finalised, but it is likely to be a 10 day dig starting Saturday March 16th. This site is significantly less accessible than the Flat Rocks one.
As regular readers of this blog are aware, we can only work on site 3-4 hours either side of low tide, so if anyone is wanting to wander past us on the beach to see what we're doing should contact the Bunurong Environment Centre or the Inverloch Visitor Information Centre to figure out when we are likely to be working.
The plans for the Cape Otway dig are not yet finalised, but it is likely to be a 10 day dig starting Saturday March 16th. This site is significantly less accessible than the Flat Rocks one.
Monash Science Centre Closing
Many Dinosaur Dreaming diggers and friends will have heard that the Monash Science Centre is closing on 30 January (see the MSC site). A big thanks to the assistance that the MSC has given Dinosaur Dreaming over many years, including administering the Friends of Dinosaur Dreaming. We'll let existing Friends know of the new admin arrangements once we finalise them. And anyone thinking of becoming a Friend should join right away, check this blog for the latest information, or join at site on Friends Day on Sunday February 17th.
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