Our featured presetation this month will be given by Michael Sandy, Professor Emeritus of Geology and Environmental Geology, University of Dayton. The title of his program will be: Fossils from Bulgaria - land of mammoth and mastodon relatives, ammonites, and even a (very) few trilobites for good measure!
Michael will look at some of the spectacular fossils found in Bulgaria. The country is only some 30 square miles larger than Ohio’s 44,825 square miles. However, unlike Ohio, whose bedrock is dominated by rocks and fossils of the Paleozoic Era (e.g., with our familiar brachiopods, bryozoa, corals, crinoids, cephalopods, gastropods, and trilobites, etc.), much of Bulgaria’s bedrock is from the younger succeeding Mesozoic and Cenozoic Eras. Therefore fossils from Bulgaria are different - well at least they are mostly of different geological ages - but there are some connections such as between the Pleistocene “Ice Age” mammoths and mastodons of Ohio and ancestral elephantine fossils (Proboscoidea) of Bulgaria – and also some links in the Paleozoic (including rare trilobites). A major difference geologically between Ohio and Bulgaria is that there are large areas of Mesozoic rock in Bulgaria with fossils including ammonites (relatives of our Ordovician cephalopods could there even be dinosaurs in Bulgaria?) whereas Ohio has no bedrock of Mesozoic age.
Michael Sandy taught at the University of Dayton for precisely one-third of a century. He is now Professor Emeritus and continues to follow his interests which are primarily: geological and science outreach; Jurassic and Cretaceous fossils; learning about Bulgaria and its customs; travelling by railway and bicycle (not simultaneously!); and enjoying Scottish weather. Since moving to Bulgaria he has been learning about Bulgaria’s rich geological and paleontological heritage and documenting large-scale Soviet-Era modifications of the local landscape during the second half of the 20th century - including uranium mining and large-scale agricultural irrigation systems. A move back to Europe (having been born in England) possibly provides some form of distorted symmetry to his life.
DATE: Friday, April 28th, 2023
PLACE:
Room 201 Braunstein Hall
University of Cincinnati Clifton Campus
SIMULCAST: via Zoom - Link sent no
later than April 26th
At the April meeting, a number of members braved the potential traffic and parking conflict with the DAAP fashion show. As it turned out, I guess the show went on but you couldn’t tell with the lack of traffic. No problems at all and the biggest surprise: the parking garage was wide open so parking was free! We did enjoy a false fire alarm to make things even more exciting.
This meeting will see the first Trudy Houser memorial award presented. Details and the presentation will happen during the meeting.
We are asking that members attending in person wear a mask. Most people have complied but we still see people ignoring our request. Remember that masks are primarily to protect others from you, not you from others. Even if you think you are immune for whatever reason, we still strongly suggest that you wear a mask to protect others. Some of our members who attend these meetings are in high risk groups (including me) so please be courteous and sensitive to their situation. Vaccination is also highly recommended. If you forgot your mask we have a limited number of free ones at the front of the room.
The Beginners Class will be conducted from 7:15 PM to 8:00 PM on April 28. It will be held before the general meeting in room 300 in Braunstein Hall on UC campus. That's one floor up from the main meeting. This month's class will be presented by Greg Courtney. He will be presenting a slide show on fossil hunting methods and tools along with an introduction to Ordovician sea life and how to collect them. A wagon full of fossils will be exhibited. The class will be in-person only, no remote Zoom.
For our last outdoor field trip before summer break (excluding those going to the Penn Dixie “Dig With the Experts” weekend – see article elsewhere in the bulletin) we will visit an area state park which allows and encourages fossil collecting. While there are two designated fossil collecting areas, you are allowed to collect anywhere in the park except the Nature Preserve area.
As of this writing, I know it is Ordovician (duh) but do not know the specific formations; however, a wide variety of specimens will be there for those with a keen eye. Because it is a State Park, there are picnic areas throughout – so bring your family and a lunch if you so choose. Did I mention there is no admission fee? There is no admission fee; consider it mentioned.
Directions to the park and spot where we are meeting can be found in the full
E-Bulletin that was emailed to dues-paying members. It is also found in the
members-only area of the website. Not a member? Here's how to join -
http://drydredgers.org/register.htm
Prospective members are also
welcome. Contact Bob Bross at w8nfm@arrl.net
or Bill Heimbrock at
admin@drydredgers.org
Remember: the trip is rain or shine. See you there!
The Dry Dredgers were pleased to announce the winners of the 2023 Dry Dredgers Paleontological Research Awards. The value of the awards for this year totaled over $2,000.
The winning applicants are:
Mariana Vilela de Andrade who is Masters Student of Dr. Alycia L. Stigall at the University of Tennessee. Her project is titled: Biogeography, speciation and niche partitioning of atrypid brachiopods in the Ordovician Period.
James Beech who is PhD Student of Dr. David J. Bottjer at the University of Southern California. His project is titled: Does the morphology of brimmed trilobites respond to changing environmental conditions during the end—Ordovician glaciation?
Dava Butler who is a PhD Student of Dr. Dan Peppe at Baylor University and Dr. Lindsey Yann of the US Park Service. Her project is titled: Using Computerized Tomography to Investigate Arrested Growth in a Columbian Mammoth.
Ian Forsythe who is a PhD Student of Prof. Carlton Brett at the University of Cincinnati. His project is titled: Constraining Timing, Drivers, and Geographic Uniformity of the Richmondian Invasion across the Cincinnati Arch.
Ohav Harris who is a Masters Student of Dr. Sarah Sheffield at the University of South Florida. His project is titled: Examining the Shifting Biogeographic Patterns of Paleozoic Echinoderms.
All five were deemed to be excellent projects by the selection committee. The Dry Dredgers offer our congratulations to all of the winners. We hope to hear from them in the future as their projects progress. The Dry Dredgers have now made over sixty five awards totaling over $34,000.
More interesting and informative information, along with color illustrations is available in the full E-Bulletin that was emailed to dues-paying members. It is also found in the members-only area of the website. Not a member? Here's how to join - http://drydredgers.org/register.htm
The Dry Dredgers and individual contributors reserve the
rights to all information, images, and content presented here. Permission to
reproduce in any fashion, must be requested in writing to admin@drydredgers.org
.
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