PALEO200 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Swampy, Hadrosaurid, Paper Towel

• School: University of Alberta
• Department: Paleontology
• Course: PALEO200
• Professor: Angelica Torices

Document Summary

Taphonomy: tells us what happened between the time of death and the time that it was buried and eventually dug up o. This erosion is possible because of sparse vegetation (dry climate) that typically hold the sediment in place and cover the land. The area dates back to 72-78 million years ago o. Exposure: can"t be covered up by soil, pavement, cities . Terrestrial environment dinosaurs only lived on land. Wet and humid; lots of rivers and wetlands, flat: rocks: Sedimentary rocks: breakdown product of other rocks (sand, silt, that get redeposited by water or wind and become layered) Igneous: ancient molten magma; not good for fossils. Metamorphic: sedimentary or igneous rocks that have been changed by heat and pressure deep underground; fossils not found in normal circumstances. Conditions for fossilization: bones need to be buried in order to be fossilized o. Desert, forest, or mountainside did not get buried.