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Sequoia affinis
Large fossilized redwood stump preserved in Eocene deposits at Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument (CO). Volcanic activity was essential for rapid burial and petrification of this stump. Vertical side of notebook (for scale) is 19 cm long.
Rt139 MesaVerdeFmBurntOrganics
ENERGY SOURCES: Mesa Verde Formation, Rt.139 south of Rangely --- Coal seams in this formation ignite and burn, baking to a bright red nearby shale and sandstone layers.
Saurischia
Dinosaurs can be classified into two groups, based on the arrangement of their hip bones. One group is named Saurischia, and the pubic bone points forward, in the opposite direction of the ischium, which points backward. All carnivore (and some herbivore) dinosaurs were saurischian. The example in this photo shows the saurischian configuration of the pelvis (articulated with leg bones + vertebral column) of an Allosaurus skeleton, on display at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science.
IdahoSpgsPhoenixVein
MINERAL RESOURCES: Phoenix gold mine, Idaho Springs --- A mineral vein colored blue-green by copper compounds.
Ornithischia
Dinosaurs can be classified into two groups, based on the arrangement of their hip bones. One group, named Ornithischia, is characterized by the pubic bone being parallel with the ischium, both pointing backward. The example in the photo shows the ornithischian arrangement of the pelvic bones (articulated with femurs and vertebral column) of an Edmontosaurus skeleton, on display at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science.
Xiphactinus audax
Predation is documented in the fossil record by exceptional specimens like this large fish from the Upper Cretaceous Niobrara Formation (KS, USA). When it died, the remains of its last meal (another large fish) were still partly undigested in its stomach. The incredible preservation of this fully articulated specimen (fins included) points to rapid burial and special taphonomic conditions. Photo taken at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science (CO, USA).
DrumsRNDisplays
CATASTROPHE - EARTHQUAKE: National Earthquake Information Center, Golden (west Denver) --- United States Geological Survey center for real-time compilation of the world's earthquakes.
RainbowCurveLawnLakeFloodOutwash
CATASTROPHE - FLOODING: Lawn Lake flood outwash from Rainbow Curve, Rocky Mountain National Park.
Rt139 Landslide
CATASTROPHE - LANDSLIDE: Douglas Pass on Rt.139 north of Grand Junction --- The hummocky ground in the foreground including the lake slid down from the cliff area to the right.
DinoRdgTracks
Dinosaur trackways, west Denver --- Dinosaur Ridge with trackways in the Dakota sandstone.