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Dinosaur-tracks
Various sauropod footprints exposed on the surface of a sandstone bed. Scale (red and white) is 40 cm long
Gull
The bifurcated tail gull ( Creagrus furcatus) is completely nocturnal and thus avoids the attacks of the frigates, which fly during the day.
Pedogenesis
Pedogenesis is the process of soil formation. This photo shows a vertical section of a modern soil profile, with root traces and carbonate concretions. Scale in cm. Location: Muhanga District, Rwanda.
Edaphosaurus pogonias
Edaphosaurs were large herbivores that had a peculiar "sail" on their back, supported by long neural spines with projecting tubercles. It is not clear what the function of this structure was, although a popular suggestion is thermoregulation. Specimen on display at the Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago.
Overturned Morcles Nappe
View of the Dents de Morcles, near Mex. The arrow at the right indicates where the Morcles Nappe (above the arrow) slid over the more fixed layers below. Here the layers of the Morcles Nappe are reversed, due to recumbent folding from the south (right). The arrow at the left, which is within the Morcles Nappe, points to the lower margin of the thin, dark Gault (Upper Cretaceous) layer. Just below is a thick Nummulitic limestone layer (Eocene). Standard geologic interpretations would suggest some 45 million years between these two layers; yet the thin Gault shows little evidence of any erosion for 45 million years (remember the Morcles layers are overturned here).
RMNP
Rocky Mountain National Park --- The valley has been carved by glaciers between the viewpoint from Trail Ridge Road and the string of peaks in the distance along the Continental Divide. Longs Peak, the only 14,000 foot peak in the park, is the flat-topped mountain in the far distance.
Aestivation
Land snails on agave plant. These terrestrial gastropods cope with hot and dry conditions during the day by entering a dormant state called "aestivation." A membrane of dried mucus provides attachment and insulation, and the light color of the shell helps to reflect sunlight. Photo taken by Dr. Oluwole Oyedeji, near Casablanca, Morocco.
Abelisaurus footprint
This footprint is the largest Abelisaurus footprint found to date. It is located near the Maragua syncline. The scale is 40 cm long.
Hills
Rwanda is known as the country of a thousand hills. These hills are mostly made of Precambrian rocks. However, the valleys between these hills are filled with alluvial deposits that provide a fertile soil for cultivation. Photo taken in the Kigali district.
Archaeotherium
The skull in this picture belongs to an entelodont, a pig-like mammal that could reach the size of a cow. Specimen from the Oligocene of South Dakota, on display at Chicago Field Museum of Natural History.