[LargeFormat] Dinosaur Provincial Park

[Hornford, Dave]

The dinosaur excavation is driven by two things - climate and the academic
schedule. I don't know which is most important.

The other climatic fundamental is exposed bone will not likely survive the
winter, the bones are brittle and very susceptible to frost/freezing damage.
The badlands are naturally eroding at 1 cm/year. Most of the erosion is in
the spring, either from the snow run-off, or more likely the spring
thundershowers (the area can get 30% of its annual precipitation in an
hour). So the palaeontologists will do more searching in the spring and then
dig in the summer. Incomplete digs are protected over winter with temporary
shelters. (Yes I took one of the tours). Most of the bones are taken out
with lots of the surrounding rock still attached - interestingly the British
Army sometimes helps out with helicopters (a short distance away is the CF
Base Suffield which is home to a British Army training facility).

Excavation is similar to archaeology, sometimes you dig with a shovel and
sometimes with a dental pick. After the bones are off-site at best 1/5 the
labour needed to free them from the surrounding rock and do what
palaeontologist do is done.

Finally, most of the palaeontologists are academics, and are tied to the
fall-spring class schedule.

I may joke about the climate, but its reasonable - My - Sept should be in
the 20s C (http://www.cmc.ec.gc.ca/climate/normals/ALTAM007.HTM)

Dave

-----Original Message-----
From: Clive Warren [mailto:Clive.Warren@megacycle.co.uk]

Thanks for the URL Dave.  Seems that peops only work there for a few weeks 
every year - is this because of the climate? Seems that Alberta used to 
have a Florida style climate - 70 million years ago.........  Guess that 
this would limit the available time for photography every year unless you 
have really thin oil lubricating your shutters :-)

Glad to hear that someone else has a stack of negs waiting to be printed - 
my darkroom hasn't recovered yet from a reorganisation.......  but should 
be working efficiently well before 2020....

Cheers,
             Clive



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