tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63286418224611205032024-03-04T21:12:43.024-08:00The ExcavatrixExcavation dispatches from the George C. Page Museum at the La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles, California.Aishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09263945106444404849noreply@blogger.comBlogger62125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6328641822461120503.post-56789202673583816832011-12-11T13:51:00.000-08:002011-12-11T14:29:19.283-08:00Our Blog is moving!Hello fellow fossil enthusiasts and asphalt-saturated bone from the Ice Age lovers. The Excavatrix as you know it today will no longer be the site for our updates. To check out what's new with fossil digging and processing here at the Tar Pits, please refer to our brand new tarpits.org website (Yay!) that's launching tomorrow, 12/12. The new "Blog" can be found by clicking "Blog" at the far right of the website's top page menu.<div><br /></div><div>The Excavatrix at blogger.com will still be available to view old posts at this time. </div><div><br /></div><div>I'd like to give a shout out to Andie, the awesome creator of The Excavatrix at blogger.com and hope that you all will enjoy the new tarpits.org website!</div>Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16032342342207160626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6328641822461120503.post-18876534189260964852011-08-20T10:25:00.000-07:002011-09-10T16:43:04.246-07:00We opened another box!<div>This is box 12. It contains the next deposit from Project 23 to be excavated.</div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/6062150105/" title="Box 12 by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6190/6062150105_bf1095c8a8.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Box 12" /></a><div><br /></div><div>Deposit 12 facts:</div><div><br /></div><div><ul><li>10,000 pounds (pretty small compared to the others)</li><li>Sits at north-east side of compound, front row along the north fence</li><li>Excavators will be able to stand or sit at its sides</li><li>No indication in notes as to what it may contain</li><li>associated with 6 spoils buckets</li></ul></div><div>Under the white tarp, the deposit is seen wrapped in plastic with supportive foam and fill cushioning its sides</div><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/6062150385/" title="Unwrapped by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6206/6062150385_b111f79c50.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Unwrapped" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Brain foam, Ew!</div><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/6062150145/" title="Brain foam by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6185/6062150145_764c41d42a.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Brain foam" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/6062698288/" title="Ew by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6084/6062698288_0428106b1b.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Ew" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>It will be an ex-home to mud daubers</div><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/6062150179/" title="Mud dobber by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6080/6062150179_15eeeba481.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Mud dobber" /></a></div><div> </div><div>and paper wasps</div><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/6062698334/" title="Paper wasps in a bad place by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6090/6062698334_3265176fbc.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Paper wasps in a bad place" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>We cleared away the plastic and scanned the surface for fossils</div><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/6062150513/" title="Laura checks the deposit surface for fossils by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6067/6062150513_af9d43afc0.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Laura checks the deposit surface for fossils" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>This is it from the box so far, some very weathered large bone frags:</div><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/6062698628/" title="This is bone (very weathered) by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6188/6062698628_de0d1e9aeb.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="This is bone (very weathered)" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Before setting grid lines, we need to consider that the box's current orientation to north is different from its original orientation</div><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/6062698690/" title="Preparing for gridline orientation by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6087/6062698690_d857e04420.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Preparing for gridline orientation" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Measurements written on the side of the box indicate its orientation from north as it was in the ground. The box north line is determined from these measurements.</div><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/6062698748/" title="Finding North by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6079/6062698748_d64e5ac4fd.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="Finding North" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/6134560158/" title="IMGP2294 by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6162/6134560158_e28d670f34_z.jpg" width="504" height="378" alt="IMGP2294" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The top board is cut down from one side and it's ready for digging</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/6134012035/" title="IMGP2295 by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6201/6134012035_20b06a621a_z.jpg" width="504" height="378" alt="IMGP2295" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Karin found the 6 deposit 12 buckets from the shed and so far they have been more interesting than the box, containing bones from various large mammals</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/6134011959/" title="IMGP2297 by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6202/6134011959_0e1f6fdf04_z.jpg" width="504" height="378" alt="IMGP2297" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>This is a sabertoothed cat tibia that had been broken in three pieces</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/6134011991/" title="IMGP2296 by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6158/6134011991_3208024e3c_z.jpg" width="504" height="378" alt="IMGP2296" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The bone is lighter in color and more brittle than our normal asphalt protected bones</div><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/6134011895/" title="IMGP2301 by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6064/6134011895_5d42529188_z.jpg" width="504" height="378" alt="IMGP2301" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/6134560556/" title="IMGP2302 by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6210/6134560556_8d849382b0_z.jpg" width="640" height="480" alt="IMGP2302" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>And upon closer inspection we see crystals growing on the cancellous tissue</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/6134560230/" title="IMGP2299 by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6171/6134560230_7f5e302fdb_z.jpg" width="504" height="323" alt="IMGP2299" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Also, a horse tooth!</div><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/6134012163/" title="IMGP2306 by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6185/6134012163_87330ab90b_z.jpg" width="640" height="480" alt="IMGP2306" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/6134560346/" title="IMGP2310 by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6203/6134560346_44b3d1f672_z.jpg" width="504" height="378" alt="IMGP2310" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>There are also fragments from other very large animals. I don't know which sides of the deposit they all came from, we will have to see as we go through the box, hopefully, maybe, where the rest of that cat, horse, and others are!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16032342342207160626noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6328641822461120503.post-76461698297858174612011-06-01T09:45:00.000-07:002011-06-07T10:37:23.310-07:00How to Screen Wash Project 23 Matrix<div>Over 2000 buckets of matrix produced from Project 23 thus far and what to do with them? Reduce! Our matrix contains a lot of non-asphaltic sediment that can be washed away. Over past months Excavators have been working on a new system for screen washing, with major organizing and tool/equipment building done by Karin.</div><div><br /></div><div>First, we choose buckets that have a lot of fine non-asphaltic sediment and soak overnight:</div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/5751901390/" title="soaking matrix by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5149/5751901390_5b89da3e30.jpg" alt="soaking matrix" height="500" width="375" /></a><br /><br /><div>We then scoop muddy squishy matrix from its bucket into a specialized bucket with a 20 mesh (size used for micro-fossil sorting) screen on the bottom (that Karin made) and swish and break</div><div>down the fine dirt that washes into tubs of water (that Karin made, sitting on a wooden platform that Karin made)<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/5751902436/" title="the wash station by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5104/5751902436_b29ced2cb6.jpg" alt="the wash station" height="500" width="375" /></a><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/5751902436/" title="the wash station by the excavatrix, on Flickr"></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/5787393548/" title="SILT by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2618/5787393548_67fee6a501.jpg" width="500" height="444" alt="SILT" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/5787393548/" title="SILT by the excavatrix, on Flickr"></a>Between washings, the bottom is cleaned. It is a rather enjoyable process bringing us back</div><div>back to our mud pie making days.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/5751357007/" title="removing silt from matrix by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2331/5751357007_a3373b0f7d.jpg" alt="removing silt from matrix" height="500" width="375" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/5751357007/" title="removing silt from matrix by the excavatrix, on Flickr"></a>The matrix dries on screens and then is bagged. Sometimes visible microfossils are "high graded" into a capsule within the bag. One rather large recent surprise was a <i>Nothrotheriops shastensis</i> patella in matrix from Box 1. It's the first Shasta ground sloth found in Project 23!</div><div><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/5751901524/" title="bagging dried matrix by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5185/5751901524_960e747436.jpg" alt="bagging dried matrix" height="500" width="375" /></a><br /><br /></div><div>A five gallon size bucket of matrix reduces down to about a gallon size bag of matrix that will later be degreased, and then we re-use buckets - yay!<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/5751357943/" title="from bucket to bag by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5304/5751357943_7a7765b30f.jpg" alt="from bucket to bag" height="500" width="375" /></a><br /><br /><br />In other P23 news....</div><div><br />Box 14 had a bit of a make-over with our use of one of the fancy canopies from Media Day</div><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/5751357803/" title="Untitled by the excavatrix, on Flickr"></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/5752368748/" title="IMGP9555 by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2407/5752368748_e487cc451c.jpg" alt="IMGP9555" height="213" width="283" /></a><br /><br />Little Timmy's left lower mandible shows up near a disturbed part of the deposit<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/5786375629/" title="IMGP9598 by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5105/5786375629_b630fa1d1f.jpg" alt="IMGP9598" height="375" width="500" /></a><br /><br />An herbivore (probably bison) maxilla is revealed in Box 1<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/5752368708/" title="P23 1 B-1 L-6 grid progress by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5186/5752368708_5161fb15a5.jpg" alt="P23 1 B-1 L-6 grid progress" height="500" width="375" /></a><br /><br /></div><div>And in the lab, Herb found two elements (occipital horns and maxilla) from a coastal horned lizard in Box 14 while sorting matrix from a block of asphaltic sand containing many small delicate bones. These are the first horned lizard bones found since 1929 in Pit A, and only the second individual ever identified at Rancho La Brea.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div></div>Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16032342342207160626noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6328641822461120503.post-24115071193206649612011-03-27T13:30:00.000-07:002011-03-30T08:51:49.010-07:00Cleaning and the Media<div style="text-align: left;">Spring cleaning started early this year with Pit 91 glopping and maintenance.</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">Since it is a dirty job, Laura donned our recently donated fishing waders/frog suit</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/5566164014/" title="Pit 91 Drama by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5262/5566164014_d49b20f190.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Pit 91 Drama" /></span></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">Michelle did some reverse basting to remove water sitting</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">around the fossils.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/5566164014/" title="Pit 91 Drama by the excavatrix, on Flickr"></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/5565584281/" title="Removing water by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5174/5565584281_85ba0c1d59.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="Removing water" /></a></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">Here Karin gets those tough to reach support beams with</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">her vacuum hose extender handle to suck up the dirt </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">and leaves that Michelle bravely swept to the edge.</span></div><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/5566163434/" title="Extended vaccuming by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5302/5566163434_38fcfb46dc.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="Extended vaccuming" /></span></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">Michelle showcases our new Pit 91 decorations</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/5565584401/" title="Decorating by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5095/5565584401_afdfd804d8.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Decorating" /></span></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">And here's an ancient grid number I found on the wall!</span></div><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/5566163606/" title="Pit 91 grid number by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5056/5566163606_8437d2dd8a.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Pit 91 grid number" /></span></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div>Our even bigger excitement than cleaning Pit 91 in March was Media Day.</div><div> We prepared the compound and Box 1 and 14 for numerous visitors. Both</div><div> large fossil deposits from these boxeswere well exposed and shined and the</div><div> reporters were given direction on where to stand.</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/5572319725/" title="Box 1 ready for visitors by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5132/5572319725_34208fcb15.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="Box 1 ready for visitors" /></a></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">Along with showcasing the </span>boxes, we also had a table of fossils in the compound</div><div>including an unprepared large tree branch, some prepared Little Timmy elements</div><div>and 6 prepared saber-toothed kitten radii.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhajJM6yQu0XwMAnbs6STN6iCD2ihEz3GfmN7_trAZA7BjmO9gQgZG7qXQqeYvd0LM5DA3DoXgJPjWRSUkvBmuLWvNor7lnKzYN1LTmfnO4FejUDLCXByXhfva5yK9tX52V0PBGe6uDhL8/s400/188867_1886310119502_1293890655_32215198_7790881_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5589894729909697234" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span></div><div style="text-align: right;">photo by Nola Milner </div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div>In the lab a table was set up to show off Clyde's skull and mandible, juvenile bison from Box 7B, saber-toothed kitten mandibles and maxillae, elements of Fluffy, Donatello, oak leaves, beetle eaten pine, and millipede.</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/5572319753/" title="kittens by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5109/5572319753_87ed77ebc3.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="kittens" /></a></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"> The fishbowl lab showed off the recently opened skull of Zed and here's the </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">Project 23 crew standing around him at the end of the day</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/5572909722/" title="Untitled by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5025/5572909722_ca1b4f2809.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="" /></a></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">John and Shelley gave a speech to numerous reporters about what has been</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"></span>discovered in Project 23 for the last two years and then the reporters were</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">released to the table, boxes, and lab to interview us. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/5572909794/" title="Laura on TV by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5023/5572909794_c93b625ecb.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Laura on TV" /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: right;"><span class="Apple-style-span">photo by Nola Milner</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;">Here are some links to articles as a result:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; "><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">LA Times (Blog):<span class="Apple-style-span"> </span><a href="http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/unleashed/2011/03/la-brea-tar-pits.html" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span">h</span></a><a href="http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/unleashed/2011/03/la-brea-tar-pits.html" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span">ttp://latimesblogs.latimes.<wbr>com/unleashed/2011/03/la-brea-<wbr>tar-pits.html</span></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">La Opinion (Print):<span class="Apple-style-span"> </span><a href="http://www.impre.com/laopinion/noticias/la-california/2011/3/10/mamut-cuenta-la-historia-de-la-244025-1.html#commentsBlock" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255); ">http://www.impre.com/<wbr>laopinion/noticias/la-<wbr>california/2011/3/10/mamut-<wbr>cuenta-la-historia-de-la-<wbr>244025-1.html#commentsBlock</a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Trekaroo (Web):<span class="Apple-style-span"> </span><a href="http://blog.trekaroo.com/2011/03/14/monday-madness-win-a-family-four-pack-of-tickets-for-the-page-museumla-brea-tarpits/" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255); ">http://blog.trekaroo.com/2011/<wbr>03/14/monday-madness-win-a-<wbr>family-four-pack-of-tickets-<wbr>for-the-page-museumla-brea-<wbr>tarpits/</a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">URCA (Radio):<span class="Apple-style-span"> </span><a href="http://www.yourcaliforniashow.com/radio-links/prehistoricbonesnearlosangeles-homebrewing101-andmuchmore" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255); ">http://www.yourcaliforniashow.<wbr>com/radio-links/<wbr>prehistoricbonesnearlosangeles<wbr>-homebrewing101-andmuchmore</a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">LA Weekly (Web):<span class="Apple-style-span"> </span><a href="http://blogs.laweekly.com/informer/2011/03/la_brea_tar_pits_new_fossils.php" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255); ">http://blogs.laweekly.com/<wbr>informer/2011/03/la_brea_tar_<wbr>pits_new_fossils.php</a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">KPFK (Radio):<span class="Apple-style-span"> <a href="http://www.hearinthecity.org/" target="_blank">www.hearinthecity.org</a> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Plus, close to 300 media outlets ran the AP story from when we were interviewed two days before Media Day</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=134384948">http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=134384948</a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "> Here are the excavators looking our best on Media Day. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; border-collapse: separate; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgDNCOSuml-uZ6b0cWu2Yej1fUiPM8EXkVxXqSxXy_nuqN5RexFZOAR4Swa1fPHtsxQEb72Aw-VZaYjLNs4fmzESwEvgsNVSMj3W5fCAkZ4ubuUunnZa7UPgh_wyq53_WJoPIUh4ya4kY/s400/excavators+on+Media+Day.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5589628608125423090" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 314px; " /></span></span></p><div style="text-align: right;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; ">photo by Nola Milner</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; ">Continuing on with cleaning, last week we poked through the collection of animal skeletons that are in various states of decay in the "monkey shed." With eagerness and sometimes slight reluctance, Michelle took an inventory to show her forensic anthropology classmates who might assist in preparing them for storage in our modern comparative collection in the lab.</span></div></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/5565617729/" title="IMGP0801 by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5025/5565617729_ededfdbe35.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="IMGP0801" /></span></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">Karin found a shy new friend </span></div><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/5566197178/" title="IMGP0790 by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5260/5566197178_bc452b5e54.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="IMGP0790" /></span></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">And another....the bear labelled "Bozo"<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/5566197544/" title="IMGP0802 by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5296/5566197544_cc5d553082.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="IMGP0802" /></a></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">and an apparently to Michelle, an absurd pelican beak</span></div><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/5566197310/" title="IMGP0794 by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5015/5566197310_64c36c41f5.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="IMGP0794" /></span></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">The fun never stops here, even with the recent torrential rain.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPLsWRYTuZwK4uGK5AODPcR9EhWODJ8n9GWH5lLHWaLZbbuUX-caLI0Afr4m9V6VNSzdsupD_nwL_Ep5gmFALoQYiLV0ncsFGJUfZ6hwjXtnjVdwLNXLIRv5o8YST6QDP7Q01MD4JwsvY/s400/IMGP9440-1.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5589643442816283042" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">During lunchtime the canopy over deposit 14 collapsed from the weight of water</span></div><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/5571498037/" title="IMGP9438 by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5100/5571498037_69f4408703.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="IMGP9438" /></span></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">We also brought out the warm and cozy Tyvec suits that Bruce donated </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/5565584629/" title="Untitled by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5066/5565584629_741eced4eb.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="" /></a></span></div><div><br /></div><div>And if you need a fossil fix (aside from looking at our great work in pictures taken by the media), here's a broken bison rib in box 14 currently exposed. At the top left there is a bison sacrum. </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/5572817776/" title="IMGP9445 by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5175/5572817776_ae36e78fe9.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="IMGP9445" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>And check out our new scaffolding next to Box 1, complete with canopy!</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/5572921900/" title="IMGP0863 by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5057/5572921900_2d556b3c84.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="IMGP0863" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>We are ready for spring/summer digging!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16032342342207160626noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6328641822461120503.post-70952271256370246192011-01-31T15:05:00.000-08:002011-02-07T20:16:57.357-08:00New Staff Lounge<div>This was Box 7A in 2009:<br /><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/5405502187/" title="Untitled by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5137/5405502187_b1c5a39327.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Now it is these roughly 600 buckets lining the interior fence:</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/5405501835/" title="IMGP9048 by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5291/5405501835_68f3b84528.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="IMGP9048" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The floor and wall boards were cleaned up, many of them saved, and now we have a nice new staff lounge:</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/5405501941/" title="IMGP9073 by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5053/5405501941_6bd55aef52_z.jpg" width="640" height="480" alt="IMGP9073" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Here's one of the 7A board lurkers:</div><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/5406106986/" title="IMGP9058 by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5137/5406106986_5cc1a5be83.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="IMGP9058" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Now that 7A is done we are spending more time on Box 1 again. Christina and Laura </div><div>found a dire wolf baculum! </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/5406106898/" title="IMGP9135 by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5096/5406106898_1f31eaa795.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="IMGP9135" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>We are also working on exposing more of the large bone deposits in boxes 1 and 14 and making them pretty to show off on our upcoming media day.</div><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/5405502279/" title="IMGP9034 by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5214/5405502279_d874ef3d7d.jpg" width="406" height="500" alt="IMGP9034" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>In a certain area of box 14 I have been finding a few bones with a colorful oil film.</div><div>I don't recall having encountered this before in my Project 23 digging experience. </div><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/5406107376/" title="IMGP9085 by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5020/5406107376_1ec9d494dd.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="IMGP9085" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16032342342207160626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6328641822461120503.post-6953431090264055982010-12-29T13:38:00.000-08:002011-01-10T17:00:07.797-08:00Winter Update<div>It has been cold. And rainy. But this has not stopped us from accomplishing a lot both outside and inside.</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Current matters of the digging kind:</b></div><br /><br />1. Box 7A is almost done!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/5340613521/" title="Katlynn Thompson on the 7A throne by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5004/5340613521_7273dfc0c5.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="Katlynn Thompson on the 7A throne" /></a><br />and volunteer Katlynn Thompson makes excavating the rest of it look easy<br /><br />2. Box 14 has been exposed down to more levels.<br /><br />After removing more fill and plastic we have exposed more of the deposit edges and found more boards, metal bands, crumbling sides, buried artifacts from initial excavation (electrical wiring and a tupper-ware lid) and discovered this:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/5328167157/" title="box 14 hole by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5042/5328167157_ef5c44ae66_z.jpg" width="640" height="480" alt="box 14 hole" /></a><br />??? A hole in the west side edge of the deposit.<br /><br />Recent finds of the ancient kind in 14 include:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/5328167211/" title="dire wolf sacrum by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5044/5328167211_fc564b4428_z.jpg" width="640" height="480" alt="dire wolf sacrum" /></a><br />Dire wolf sacrum found at bottom of level 3<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/5328778600/" title="proximal humerus of Little Timmy by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5088/5328778600_faf4e21476_z.jpg" width="480" height="640" alt="proximal humerus of Little Timmy" /></a><br />Little Timmy's humeri. Here is the proximal end of one standing exposed. It has an old break that caliche filled. This end was removed at that break and the rest of the bone lies in level 4. We also have its other humerus lying to the west in L4.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/5328167109/" title="coyote skull under hard asphalt by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5088/5328167109_2e221ffbb3_z.jpg" width="480" height="640" alt="coyote skull under hard asphalt" /></a><br />A coyote skull, seen under the dark hard asphalt in this picture.<div>It's molars are in the lower center.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/5328166947/" title="caliche layer by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5245/5328166947_26c1a2569c_z.jpg" width="640" height="484" alt="caliche layer" /></a><br />We continue to be captivated in curiosity by box 14 caliche. This is the top of a layer of it that we exposed in grid D-3 L4.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/5328166997/" title="caliche in D3-L4 wall by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5049/5328166997_4c180925b8_z.jpg" width="640" height="480" alt="caliche in D3-L4 wall" /></a><br />Here is a cross-section of caliche in the D-3 L4 south wall.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/5328167063/" title="caliche close-up by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5003/5328167063_a597c648de_z.jpg" width="640" height="480" alt="caliche close-up" /></a><br />And a closer look because we love it so much.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Recent excavator activities of the non-digging kind<br /></span><br /></div><div>Last month excavators and Aisling took some time to make 2 new temporary museum exhibits featuring findings from Project 23. After putting some good use to the many cold rainy days of December, we now have an exhibit about the taphonomy of our box 1 American lion "Fluffy" and an exhibit about how box 5B was excavated and what we found. Come check them out in the Page Museum near the "fishbowl"!</div><div><br />Also, we have been starting to screen-wash non-asphaltic matrix buckets from box 5B to see if they are sterile. Here Michelle and Karin break apart matrix of different soil types within a grid that have been soaking in water.<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/5328167315/" title="screen washing by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5208/5328167315_2c9db697ed_z.jpg" width="640" height="427" alt="screen washing" /></a><br /><div><b></b><br /></div></div><div>We are planning on having a larger washing station made for us so we can quickly sort through</div><div>the buckets</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Stay warm!</b></div><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/5343407370/" title="pit squirrel warming up by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5041/5343407370_8c4e331a32.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="pit squirrel warming up" /></a></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><br /></div>Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16032342342207160626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6328641822461120503.post-28809044359518619602010-10-20T15:32:00.000-07:002010-10-20T15:32:36.816-07:00Trevor's Lab Update and words on National Fossil Day<object style="background-image:url(http://i3.ytimg.com/vi/ZtRGYflv9pA/hqdefault.jpg)" width="480" height="295"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ZtRGYflv9pA?fs=1&hl=en_US"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ZtRGYflv9pA?fs=1&hl=en_US" width="480" height="295" allowScriptAccess="never" allowFullScreen="true" wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object>Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16032342342207160626noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6328641822461120503.post-44072817979932864712010-10-19T12:18:00.000-07:002010-11-10T12:04:33.845-08:00Updates!It has been eventful times this fall. Aside from uncovering hundreds of new fossils we've been involved in a couple other fun activities like speaking to volunteer Mary Simun's AP Environmental Studies class and having a table at NHM's Haunted Museum where we educated on the 3 sloths found at RLB <br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/5164192805/" title="NHMs Haunted Museum by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1337/5164192805_33b992e94a_z.jpg" width="640" height="480" alt="NHMs Haunted Museum" /></a><br /><br />Also, there have been some major staffing changes. We celebrated Chris Shaw's retirement and are also now fully staffed (except for Collections Manager) Karin Rice and Laura are now full-time, and Christina Lutz is part-time. Congrats to all!<br /><br />Now for some needed box updates!<br /><br />I know that some are wondering what has been up with box 1, and that is...a bit of remodeling, pedestaling, and power digging. Box 1 currently has some of the most curious and hardest grids to excavate which has lead us to take slightly different approaches to traditional digging. We are now "pedestaling" around the main fossil deposit in the south end. This means taking the matrix around the bones down to deeper grid levels without removing the bones. This creates a side view of how they are in place which helps us see how the deposit formed. To easier accomplish that excavation approach a "window" was removed from the south wall next to the bones so that someone can stand outside the box and excavate from the side as Tara demonstrates here, working across from Michelle. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/5117985571/" title="IMGP8486 by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1425/5117985571_906edafb27.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="IMGP8486" /></a><br /><br />The rest of the open grids in box 1 are sterile and difficult which means its time to bring out the power tools if we want to get this box done in the next 10 years. Michelle and I have been using the pneumatic hammer and Herb brought in his electric hammer which proved very useful in clearing out half of a grid in one day. Here's Michelle digging her "hole to China" in a hard sterile grid next to the bone deposit.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/5118339457/" title="Michelle in box 1 hole by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1245/5118339457_d6d5c4a0d9.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="Michelle in box 1 hole" /></a><br /><br />And 7A?<br /><br />Since 7A was re-opened on the 7th of July all of the "C" grids from level 3 to the bottom boards have been completed (roughly 4 tons of matrix) and now we are well into the B grids<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/5118942160/" title="box 7A 10-26 by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1095/5118942160_5cfeb1ec1e.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="box 7A 10-26" /></a><br /><br />The major fossil finds are 3 horse cervical vertebrae. Other bones have been sparse - just a few bones from smaller animals and random worn large bone frags. There are however gastropods galore<br /> <br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/5118314769/" title="striped-shell from 7A by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1345/5118314769_38ff4a1f0e.jpg" width="421" height="500" alt="striped-shell from 7A" /></a><br /><br />And some neat geology has been revealed, such as this wavy silt/clay structure that was probably created by asphalt deforming soft sediment<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/5118589302/" title="Box 7A Sedimentary Structure by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1262/5118589302_19b2713928.jpg" width="333" height="500" alt="Box 7A Sedimentary Structure" /></a><br /><br />Volunteers have been great at chiseling though the tough old asphaltic stream beds of 7A. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/5118339567/" title="Pat Simun helps in 7A by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1061/5118339567_f04e716d58.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Pat Simun helps in 7A" /></a><br /><br />Everyone still loves the safety glasses which are a necessity in 7A...but will they protect Karin from Justin's apparent backstabbing...?<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/5164807284/" title="we love our safety glasses by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1238/5164807284_f08ccecbdc_z.jpg" width="640" height="427" alt="we love our safety glasses" /></a><br /><br />With their help, including the "Master Chiseler" Jack (aka The Chiserater, Jack the Chipper, or The Grand Chizier) who competes with Herb as to who can produce the most buckets in a day, we will probably have this box finished within the next couple of months.<br /><br />And there's continual awesomeness in the large box 14 deposit:<br /><br />I like to call it a fossil buffet<br /> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/5164821336/" title="IMGP8511 by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4012/5164821336_85a7065a0d_b.jpg" width="720" height="475" alt="IMGP8511" /></a><br /><br />Here's a closer look at the dire wolf skull that was "biting" our box 14 juvenile mastodon's scapula <br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/5164208937/" title="IMGP8742 by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1089/5164208937_8d7f548812_b.jpg" width="720" height="540" alt="IMGP8742" /></a><br /><br />Both of Little Timmy's scapulae and a humerus have been exposed. Plus...we found the back of a sloth skull! And recently a coracoid from a teratorn, the largest bird found at RLB - its a giant condor with a wingspan of 12 feet!<br /><br />Box 14 also has this<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/5164161695/" title="mysterious caliche surrounding bone by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4050/5164161695_45dab59aa1_z.jpg" width="640" height="480" alt="mysterious caliche surrounding bone" /></a><br /><br />See those bluish-gray bands that surround the brown bone? That is a caliche that has never been seen at RLB before and its formation is still somewhat of a mystery...speaking of which...did anybody catch the Page Museum featured in the Travel Channel's "Mysteries at the Museum" show that aired last week?Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16032342342207160626noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6328641822461120503.post-61727543840376103632010-10-14T20:45:00.000-07:002010-10-14T20:45:59.966-07:00an overdue farewellHey asphaltophiles,<br />
<br />
This is old news to some of you, and of no consequence to others, BUT:<br />
<br />
As you may or may not have noticed, I (Andie) have not been posting to this little blog. And that's because I am no longer an excavatrix! About two months ago I packed up my 18-year-old Honda and drove to the lovely twin cities of Champaign-Urbana, Illinois. I am in grad school for library and information science, with a specialization in data curation! It's super duper fascinating, I promise. <br />
<br />
Carrie, senior excavatrix extraordinaire (and maybe others) has and will continue to update the blog, time permitting. Seeing as she is fully awesome, the blog under her guidance has been (and will be!) fully awesome as well.<br />
<br />
So please, wish me luck in the soon-to-be-frozen north as my Californian blood is frozen solid this winter and my brain is filled with way too much information about information. And best of luck to all the diggers, present and future, of La Brea: may your trowels find tapirs, and your discovery marks be few.<br />
<br />
Cheers,<br />
AndieUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6328641822461120503.post-51042194387610830852010-09-26T11:04:00.000-07:002010-10-05T13:36:35.660-07:00The Great Volunteer Bucket Moving DayOn September 21, for about 2 hours, the Page Museum was graced with 100 UCLA freshman's extra pairs of hands as part of their Volunteer Day event, in which more than 4500 freshmen are involved in city-wide community service. When we were approached by them for work we thought it to be a great opportunity to get some needed gardening, painting, and matrix bucket moving done.<br /><br />Project 23 was given 30 of the volunteers and a few of their captains to help us organize our buckets by concentrating buckets from each box to one location and ordering by grid, with each specific grid bucket being counted. Since having that many people in the compound at one time is a bit terrifying they were divided into 5 groups for each deposit with each group being supervised by a staff member (Michelle, Laura, and I) or volunteer (Karin and Christina) Taking time out from supervising the new garden addition, Aisling captured our bucket moving moments.<br /><br />Here Laura explains to her freshmen how exactly they will be moving buckets onto the fancy platforms that we constructed to protect bucket bottoms from rusting. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/5050896549/" title="P1030623 by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4111/5050896549_d6799d436c.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="P1030623" /></a><br /><br />The volunteers were very enthusiastic to help move buckets for science<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/5051516386/" title="P1030679 by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4129/5051516386_c86931e2a8.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="P1030679" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/5051516244/" title="P1030666 by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4130/5051516244_4b87e412d7.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="P1030666" /></a><br /><br />The driveway was utilized to pre-sort buckets for box 1 and 5b. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/5051516478/" title="P1030696 by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4083/5051516478_b36cd91a0c.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="P1030696" /></a><br /><br />There were a lot of buckets to move and sort! We could have used the students all day because the two hours of time was not enough. The job was finished by myself and others including Trevor, Herb, Christina, Jean, Jack, Jenna, and Justin during 2 days following. It was a lot of work but the students were super helpful in doing the majority of the moving and now gathering data about each deposit and processing matrix will be much easier.<br /><br />We now have the more convenient ability to know exactly how many buckets have been produced from each box and each grid. Here's some results:<br /><br />Number of buckets per completed box:<br />Box 5b - 541<br />Box 7B - 267<br />Box 10A - 191<br />Box 10B - 91<br /><br />For boxes still in progress:<br />Box 1 - 428<br />Box 7a - 279<br />Box 14 - 71<br /><br />This gives a grand total of 1868 buckets produced in the past 2 years, 1724 of which were moved that day. That is an average of 74720 pounds (37 tons) of matrix that has been excavated out of Project 23 over the past 2 years. With 19 boxes left to finish that could mean about 100 more tons of matrix left to go.<br /><br />Many thanks to all of those involved!Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16032342342207160626noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6328641822461120503.post-68682553344760045342010-08-15T08:13:00.000-07:002010-09-01T14:38:32.597-07:00Introducing Box 14Excavation of deposit 14 has been underway for almost 2 months now and has been very fruitful, as expected, due to what we have already seen in the amount of spill-over fossils that were put in buckets when the deposit was removed from the ground, as demonstrated <a href="http://excavatrix.blogspot.com/2010/02/were-back.html">here by Andie in a previous blog</a>. But before we could poke our dental picks in the top asphaltic sugar sand already showing signs of large bone we had to transform the highly awkward box into something we could work with.<br /><br />This is how it came to us, after protective tarp removed<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/4916534088/" title="box 14 uncovered by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4134/4916534088_141f1bded1.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="box 14 uncovered" /></a><br /><br />The actual deposit is the darker colored sediment in the center. It fell apart when they were trying to excavate it and came to us wrapped with a few boards and metal bands, then plastic, and then supported by tons of the sterile "fill" dirt within the space of the tall box. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/4916534422/" title="box 14 surface by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4136/4916534422_ff1134918b.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="box 14 surface" /></a><br /><br />Box excavation preparation included cutting the metal bands that crossed over the top of the box, assembling scaffolding, removing front top board so the public can see us work, affixing handrails for easier boarding, setting up a shade canopy, and determining grid lines, and then box 14 was ready for digging!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/4916534276/" title="box 14 scaffolding by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4122/4916534276_163878155c.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="box 14 scaffolding" /></a><br /><br />The fossiliferous asphaltic sugar sand midsection of the deposit is relatively easy to dig in. It softly peels and crumbles away from the bone. We never have it completely easy though, as within it there are also spots of hard oxidized asphalt as well as bones that have already been fractured. Given that the deposit was disturbed upon excavation we also have not been taking three point orientation measurements of bones as they are believed to be disrupted from their original position. The only data thus far taken has been the grid and level that the fossil is found in.<br /><br />Included in what we have found so far:<br /><br /></li><li> 2 large hervibore vertebrae including sloth <br /></li><li>1 coyote skull<br /></li><li>1 dire wolf skull, tibia, radius<br /></li><li>2 juvenile saber-toothed cat mandibles<br /></li><li>lots of bird - including golden eagle skull, teratorn sized limb bones, male <br /> turkey, and hawk<br /></li><li>"lots of turtle" - according to Trevor there are at least 3 individuals<br /></li><li>pieces of juvenile mastodon skull including a maxilla with teeth that <br /> indicate its young age, possibly younger than any mastodon in the RLB <br /> collection, along with a tibia <br /><br />Meet "Snuffleupagus" or "Dumbo"<br /><br />field photo<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/4926908765/" title="juvenile mastodon field photo by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4141/4926908765_801ab5c733.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="juvenile mastodon field photo" /></a><br /><br />after some cleaning by Henry<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/4939021747/" title="IMGP7077 by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4078/4939021747_641653b147.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="IMGP7077" /></a><br /><br />Also, here's an example of what the main fossil deposit in 14 looks like<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/4927504868/" title="box 14 grid C3/L2 by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4096/4927504868_4cd2d298b3.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="box 14 grid C3/L2" /></a><br /><br />and the bird beak I found (my first), which is eagle sized<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/4915931691/" title="beak by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4095/4915931691_d997fd327d.jpg" width="500" height="369" alt="beak" /></a><br /><br />and the perfect furcula from a medium sized hawk that Michelle found<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/4916626141/" title="Untitled by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4120/4916626141_518d16643b.jpg" width="500" height="405" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Deposit 14 has been worked down two levels and in order to continue we<br />have started removing fill dirt so that we can remain excavating from the deposit's side. Last week bucket by bucket we removed over a ton of fill. Literally. Thank you Sunday volunteers Karin Rice, Bruce Fischer, and Katelynn Simpson for being awesome dirt movers!<br /><br />Now this is 14's current look<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/4932352951/" title="deposit 14 at level 2 floor by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4079/4932352951_79d9ab48d4.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="deposit 14 at level 2 floor" /></a><br /><br />In other P23 news the reopening of the rather non-fossiliferous deposit 7a has yielded 3 horse cervical vertebrae and progress has been excellent in box 1. More updates are to come!!!Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16032342342207160626noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6328641822461120503.post-73937548325286302652010-07-14T16:23:00.000-07:002010-07-14T16:52:18.519-07:00Farewell to Deposit 5bBox 5b is done. We started in early November, and after 8 months there is now an empty spot in front of box 14. The "June gloom" weather during the last days of 5b matched the sadness we felt in knowing that the excitement of 5b would soon be gone. We had a good time discovering its intriguing asphalt infused stratigraphy and cool fossils including:<div><ul><li>Clyde, the partially articulated camel</li><li>Alphie, the juvenile mammoth</li><li>Little Timmy the juvenile coyote</li><li>Pepe the weasle</li><li>and a yet to be named rattlesnake.</li></ul></div><div><br />The last noticeable fossils in 5b were freshwater snails and plant in asphaltic sediment and the bottom layer consisted of virtually sterile partially asphalt infused greenish gray clay.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/4794091045/" title="IMGP6337 by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4073/4794091045_6e0962febe.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="IMGP6337" /></a><br /><br />Here Laura works with volunteers Cheyenne Robinson and Pat and Mary Simun to extract the last remains of fossils at this level<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/4794697582/" title="Working on last of 5b by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4102/4794697582_d90390ea50_b.jpg" width="480" height="640" alt="Working on last of 5b" /></a><br /><br />Michelle joined them for a time out to capture the adoration for our special safety glasses<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/4794064079/" title="Sporting our Safety Glasses by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4139/4794064079_347a12a561.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Sporting our Safety Glasses" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/4794064121/" title="IMGP8076 by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4102/4794064121_15881b62be.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="IMGP8076" /></a><br /><br />Volunteer Herb Schiff hammers through the final remains<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/4794697684/" title="Herb Schiff finishing 5b by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4139/4794697684_5dec1462fd.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Herb Schiff finishing 5b" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/4794697712/" title="5b's last clay lumps by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4141/4794697712_225ede9165.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="5b's last clay lumps" /></a><br /><br />And then there was none.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/4794697746/" title="5b is gone! by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4101/4794697746_1239dd0cf9.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="5b is gone!" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/4794064291/" title="5b last boards by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4097/4794064291_863e76c076.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="5b last boards" /></a><br /><br />Depending on who you ask one highlight of finishing a box is discovering who has been living underneath it. As the final bottom boards were lifted there was an unveiling of slugs, crickets, brown widows, black widows, and some other unidentifiable by me spiders and insects.<br /><br />Well hello!<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/4794834090/" title="slug by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4140/4794834090_a72f2f3cee.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="slug" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/4794064401/" title="Spiders under 5b by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4094/4794064401_962430d4c6_b.jpg" width="500" alt="Spiders under 5b" /></a><br /><br />Box 14, the large box situated behind 5b and next to box 1 is the next to be opened. It is a partially slumped deposit which means complete measurement of fossils will be limited to what we know is for sure in situ. The idea is to quickly work through the thousands of fossils we will find slumped in the easier to excavate asphaltic "sugar sands" and the area it sits will then be used for bucket storage.<br /><br />We also look forward to meeting the other half of 5 on the other side of the compound someday hopefully soon to learn more about deposit 5 geology and see if we can find more of Clyde and Alphie.</div>Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16032342342207160626noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6328641822461120503.post-23119067013221611702010-06-06T15:08:00.000-07:002010-07-09T14:52:19.119-07:00camelops!When we last left our heroes:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/4569011029/" title="where-we-are-today by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4041/4569011029_cf58bb7c09_o.jpg" width="325" height="389" alt="where-we-are-today" /></a><br /><br />They were digging away at deposit 5B. And the still are! The deposit has shrunk considerably from its <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/4675669563/">original size</a>, but excavators are still looking for more elements of Clyde, our partially articulated, partially complete <span style="font-style:italic;">Camelops hesternus</span>.<br /><br />As you may remember from two posts ago, we had most recently exposed his almost perfectly articulated <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/4548539569/">7th cervical and first thoracic vertebrae</a>, and were pleased to find that his 6th cervical vertebra wasn't too far off:<div><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/4569648498/" title="all_three_verts by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4040/4569648498_d2c0eae3e1_o.jpg" width="600" height="800" alt="all_three_verts" /></a><br /><br /></div><div>Here's a closer look; volunteer Henry is holding a clean <i>Camelops hesternus</i> 6th cervical vertebra from our collection for comparison.</div><div><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/4569648364/" title="6th_cervical by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3509/4569648364_99a04bca69_o.jpg" width="600" height="800" alt="6th_cervical" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">1) neural spine -- 2) postzygapophyses -- 3) prezygopophyses -- 4) henry</span></div></div><div><br /></div><div><div>We have no idea why the 7th cervical and 1st thoracic verts stayed articulated over 10-40k years, while the 6th cervical wandered off a foot and a half to the north. However, we do know that this brings our tally of camel bones from deposit 5b to:</div><div><div>-1 skull</div><div>-1 jaw </div><div>- 8 thoracic vertebrae</div><div>-2 cervical vertebrae</div><div>- 1 right humerus</div><div>- assorted rib fragments</div><div>- 1 camel toe</div><div>- and maybe a femur, but we're not sure on that yet</div></div></div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6328641822461120503.post-77782836075685892942010-04-25T22:28:00.000-07:002010-06-06T12:58:39.190-07:00project 23 on 'best of la'Hey, we're on tv! Again! Video below features Dr. John Harris & Trevor Valle speaking, and Carrie Howard, Meena Madan, and Tara Thara excavating (and Aisling Farrell and myself for approx 2 seconds a piece, which is perfectly a-ok, because being on tv is scary). "Best of LA," check it out (email subscribers -- I think you'll have to click through to actual blog to view, sorry):<br /><br /><embed id="videpPlayerId" src="http://bestoflatv.com/player.swf?t=1272259422000" bgcolor="#000000" width="550" height="339" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" flashvars="componentWidth=550&componentHeight=339&previewPath=null&videoPath=http://video.bestoflatv.com/videos/9998/9998.flv&video_id=1185&autoPlay=false&countTimeAfter=15&bandwidthEdge=200&shareLink=http://bestoflatv.com/view/1185"></embed><div><br /><br />EDIT: UGH embed does not seem to be working. Here is link: <a href="http://bestoflatv.com/view/1185">http://bestoflatv.com/view/1185</a><br /></div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6328641822461120503.post-25009390234346545452010-04-24T17:21:00.000-07:002010-04-25T21:34:26.810-07:00why working in a public park is fun.Little kid questions of the week (both addressed to Carrie):<br /><br />Small child: "Do you guys ever find anything besides bones in there?"<br />Carrie: "Like what?"<br />Small child: "Like weapons??"<br /><br />I'm sure the kid meant spearheads, but my mind went instantly to a giant ground sloth holding a rifle.<br /><br />Small child: "Why do they save all the dirt?"<br />Carrie: "We will look through it for microfossils."<br />Small child: "Microfossils... ohhhh like ancient germs??"<br /><br />Now that one, I suppose, depends on what you consider a germ... We do get <a href="http://gradworks.umi.com/32/98/3298201.html">asphalt-eating bacteria</a>, after all...<br /><br /><div><div style="text-align: left;">One of the most frequent questions we get from park visitors is, "what do you do when it rains?"</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/4548539541/" title="it's raining, it's pouring by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4071/4548539541_8dd29de94a_o.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="it's raining, it's pouring" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">clearly, you SMILE ADORABLY like laura</span></i></div><br />Well, as we've had to do more than once recently, we.... go inside. Despite our dirt-covered faces and tar-stained jeans, we are CIVILIZED after all (although to be fair, if it's only raining a little, and we've got a decent tarp rigged up, at least half the staff will opt to stay outdoors: "it smells nice!").<br /><br /></div><div>But this is California: we don't really have weather.<br /><div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/4548539487/" title="carrie and christina by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4047/4548539487_eb6897cb16_o.jpg" width="600" height="400" alt="carrie and christina" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">this photo was taken in february; they're smiling because it's 80 degrees out. sorry, everywhere else.</span></i></div><br />People also ask which is better: digging in the cold, or digging in the heat. After several years of excavatrix-ing, I've become quite the connoisseur of digging conditions. Colder days have their advantages -- the asphalt "freezes" to the point that it chips off in these nice ovoid fragments -- <a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=diKKQ6k0G34C&pg=PA36&lpg=PA36&dq=conchoidal+fracture+arrowhead&source=bl&ots=kzUj-Am4Vc&sig=_FBjhNIgsiVd76xa9OUXXaUPJYM&hl=en&ei=JYHTS4m8EoT8sgPx67WWCg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CAgQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=conchoidal%20fracture%20arrowhead&f=false">conchoidal fractures</a>, as in flint -- and you can get rid of big chunks of sterile dirt at one time. <div><br /></div><div>And sometimes you find neat stuff in between the fractured pieces:</div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/4549172540/" title="insect wing imprint in asphalt by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4006/4549172540_183fc29024_o.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="beetle wing imprint in asphalt" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">imprint of an insect wing, photo by the awesome carrie howard</span></i></div><div><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/4549432664/" title="more millipedes by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4042/4549432664_0156d7af0a_o.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="more millipedes" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">SO MANY MILLIPEDES........</span></i></div><div><br /></div><div>However, cold days mean no detail work -- no dental picking! Which means no working on awesome stuff like these two articulated camel vertebrae (still from Clyde, our camel in 5B):<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; "><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/4548539569/" title="articulated camel vertebrae by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4050/4548539569_0cb5323228_o.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="articulated camel vertebrae" /></a></div></div><div><br /></div><div>Cold days, for me, also mean I'm at least 83% more likely to hit my left thumb with my own hammer before 9:30am. But I'm weird.</div><div><br /></div><div>Warmer days, like I said, mean detail work:</div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/4548798067/" title="beetle head? by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4034/4548798067_2c108b0cec_o.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="beetle head? " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">i'm not sure what insect or which part this is, but it's neat</span></i></div></div><div><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/4548797877/" title="ice age termite gnaw marks! by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4034/4548797877_ac0e1067f8_o.jpg" width="650" height="488" alt="ice age termite gnaw marks!" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">more amazing photos by Carrie</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Termite gnaw marks from the Pleistocene -- very cool. The keen-eyed excavator that got them out intact -- possibly cooler (I bet it was Carrie -- apparently this is We Love Carrie week).</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/4548797909/" title="ice age termite gnaw marks! by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; "></span></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/4548797909/" title="ice age termite gnaw marks! by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4017/4548797909_f7c4bb91c5_o.jpg" width="600" height="450" alt="ice age termite gnaw marks!" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/4548797909/" title="ice age termite gnaw marks! by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><br /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">So, warm days = melty asphalt and pretty fossils. However, warm days eventually turn into hot days, which eventually turn into oh-my-god-i'm-dying-get-me-an-iced-tea. We've got another 2 months until then, though.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div></div>Another keen-eyed excavator (your truly, to tell the truth) spotted a new instance of the family Suidae at Rancho La Brea....<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/4548539443/" title="wait a second.... by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4041/4548539443_8b1ca96ff9_o.jpg" width="450" height="600" alt="wait a second...." /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;"><i>yes, it's a pot-bellied pig. no, it's not george clooney's. damn.</i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">but, alas, not exactly Pleistocene in age...</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6328641822461120503.post-83913833862494025442010-02-24T13:57:00.000-08:002010-02-24T18:14:50.828-08:00Monarchs at Pit 91Volunteer Anna Lopez planted milkweed adjacent to the Pit 91 viewing station to entice monarch butterflies. It has been fascinating and refreshing for us to observe the life cycle of animals that are not dead:<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_IcrgcCfwvBM/S4S8oGDS3rI/AAAAAAAABVQ/XLqaBJLi57A/s1600-h/IMGP2178.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441681646775623346" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_IcrgcCfwvBM/S4S8oGDS3rI/AAAAAAAABVQ/XLqaBJLi57A/s320/IMGP2178.JPG" /></a> <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_IcrgcCfwvBM/S3795iKTKuI/AAAAAAAABUY/Oc1vb4ZqpPg/s1600-h/catsm.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440064564774513378" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_IcrgcCfwvBM/S3795iKTKuI/AAAAAAAABUY/Oc1vb4ZqpPg/s320/catsm.jpg" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghRPR3ZclgXziUu2TdL-zuNGtOBBYZPLeGTulpQf0coifZzAxMkrHdIehTwn_FKhzCJL16yHzpX_lFeUDnEUQG2PWtMAF7M04OAiG3SkEzxDEedkB8XiVPNDa0VwpHGZveaDrMd3i455U/s1600-h/IMGP2731.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 275px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441683333571782002" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghRPR3ZclgXziUu2TdL-zuNGtOBBYZPLeGTulpQf0coifZzAxMkrHdIehTwn_FKhzCJL16yHzpX_lFeUDnEUQG2PWtMAF7M04OAiG3SkEzxDEedkB8XiVPNDa0VwpHGZveaDrMd3i455U/s320/IMGP2731.JPG" /></a> <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_IcrgcCfwvBM/S4S-s-dz3EI/AAAAAAAABVg/2t4iJZjIkZw/s1600-h/IMGP2729.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 297px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441683929661955138" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_IcrgcCfwvBM/S4S-s-dz3EI/AAAAAAAABVg/2t4iJZjIkZw/s320/IMGP2729.JPG" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihl3OM7meuxaCJUza0Nt2SiLfpoV2g8nQaVmDBizy043vONlgyDZKulC4Adr0jd6ta7lPk5qmifvKJNW1zVf2Xx4w-kpOW3vOc9tPEokAbavmNyhba0lqWDfFq2U1yoYbmF2iEEF9RG18/s1600-h/chrysalis.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 233px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441684218615015570" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihl3OM7meuxaCJUza0Nt2SiLfpoV2g8nQaVmDBizy043vONlgyDZKulC4Adr0jd6ta7lPk5qmifvKJNW1zVf2Xx4w-kpOW3vOc9tPEokAbavmNyhba0lqWDfFq2U1yoYbmF2iEEF9RG18/s320/chrysalis.jpg" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf9odpAt2XxwMnq-V52UPbAVMshyphenhyphenzKUKbMnYkNT0hFAxPKWt_ea3zFSk-TAkF4JqMuBl3XRbt-uwq4SVbzPo96zht6gQ_4fioe2Ni7hfEqDTpEvj6UmFfC2Wvbik0IDdZt4FGs-knPwoM/s1600-h/IMGP3121.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 196px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441684890213789858" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf9odpAt2XxwMnq-V52UPbAVMshyphenhyphenzKUKbMnYkNT0hFAxPKWt_ea3zFSk-TAkF4JqMuBl3XRbt-uwq4SVbzPo96zht6gQ_4fioe2Ni7hfEqDTpEvj6UmFfC2Wvbik0IDdZt4FGs-knPwoM/s320/IMGP3121.JPG" /></a> <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_IcrgcCfwvBM/S4S_8xZ31RI/AAAAAAAABV4/c2E1xVObbuw/s1600-h/monarch.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 275px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441685300545312018" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_IcrgcCfwvBM/S4S_8xZ31RI/AAAAAAAABV4/c2E1xVObbuw/s320/monarch.jpg" /></a> <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_IcrgcCfwvBM/S4S_9YOsg6I/AAAAAAAABWA/y65JPFz2-Oo/s1600-h/monface.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 309px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441685310967415714" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_IcrgcCfwvBM/S4S_9YOsg6I/AAAAAAAABWA/y65JPFz2-Oo/s320/monface.jpg" /></a>Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16032342342207160626noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6328641822461120503.post-10038383961697464822010-02-21T10:31:00.000-08:002010-02-21T10:47:17.778-08:00we're back!Friends, I am torn, because on the one hand, I feel extremely bad for not posting for two months, but on the other hand, it is because we have been busy being amazingly productive paleontologists who do not have time for this new-fangled computer contraption -- we simply have too much dirt, too many bones, too much <i>science</i>. Am I to apologize for progress? I think not. But am I to apologize for poor journalism? Absolutely.<br /><br />As penance, I humbly offer you easily enough material for three separate posts. Photo heavy, be warned.<br /><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/5kLxU8pBizQdgxmdeJTL8A?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh20fzUT5SFAbhmZoF1ivbs08Rm4-dRIQOW5SJaJlgd0fPNNG2Twgoozl5RhkBZl0OIHJ627T1R-4IAg9Qm2ajI2K19egSdcoWr7AQBTKnllnXvX5X3pNLWgYzyBl0rYoI08n-HQPF-LZ3m/s800/P23-layout-FINAL.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/andrea.thomer/NewYearNewDirt?feat=embedwebsite">New Year, New Dirt</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>This, as you may or may not remember (it <i>has </i>been a long time, after all) is a rough map of the Project 23 compound (Pit 91 is the square to the south). We've finished 3 boxes (10A, 10B, and 7B, all x'd out), got half-way through another (7A, put on hold until we can better figure out what to do with it), and are still digging away in deposit 1. Deposit 5B is newly opened. 14 is currently slated to go next. For a better sense of scale, here's a photo of the compound from a couple months ago:<br /><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/vnFbuVAi2HQEWsPjj2JqBA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfC5OhmUnbJPzaT-wrs-XBGiZEIlEga2e49f7nHAzpw1aLW0Nkd-KHTS7vxnIqmj6kfUE-ZwpFbVIO77_UMQYl3lV_8DBQ5zniseKJf1832hnWRoKC2Qlt5QLnPFtt28SxV81Cvc8OvhCP/s800/compound-as-it-is-today.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/andrea.thomer/NewYearNewDirt?feat=embedwebsite">New Year, New Dirt</a></td></tr></tbody></table>And here's a photo from shortly thereafter:<br /><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/9imDdw79f6OIaN5O0pwDhQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhybWFib2Eo4F5rCMfuQGFL6OqV0r4LJSxhIlRj6quRvo6LiD_w05EMBEoMNQg_xkrsxdUDJ-D2M2GXMg0sNiCk2nhEtBhXT8lAX_1CZgIz-G0JQDtHzFm-OGBDWn_eVKSVymbQnWpHkSB4/s800/5Bdemo1.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/andrea.thomer/NewYearNewDirt?feat=embedwebsite">New Year, New Dirt</a></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div>Woah! What happened to 5B??? Well I will tell you.<br /><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/-T0-RBdH2yG3pVlJj7QOig?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSaEvO0Ftys4t2F5OO4v20jo1abepmAKL1Kat4iFLFY1sKlK-ZrcyvozGxGyjCZLBRwJ5iWpvDr63jLBcfSPtfGxQBS2jpNV7_XnuvNje7UpjDErg-mbpVceMWTXRI0AwcqLlJWRURtHA8/s800/5bdemo2.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/andrea.thomer/NewYearNewDirt?feat=embedwebsite">New Year, New Dirt</a></td></tr></tbody></table>We took the sides off! Deposit 5B's box had warped somewhat treacherously from the get-go; its base was damaged in the move from LACMA to here. Rather than working around unweildy boards, we decided to experiment and take all the sides off at once. We hoped this would allow us to get a look at the deposit's stratigraphy straight away, so we can better anticipate where fossils will and will not be. We also hoped that the deposit wouldn't immediately fall apart...<br /><br /><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/1ueouh0YZtyW64ee0I0iFg?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJapqXWhKcD2UBwxL8vLHoCGKgdZkhc8C1P5eLJMQIjdfQN5eURtRZCr-S_6MjT5ORg3K43BnMAO4dxegnsyo86FGCeMERDovGNUWlwMigcb3qj0-StoCIbCDf4x1egDG5LHhgr7gqFQA6/s800/5bdemo3.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">Jack is so proud! From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/andrea.thomer/NewYearNewDirt?feat=embedwebsite">New Year, New Dirt</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div>As you can see in the photo above, we were fortunately (mostly) right on both counts: after removing all the boards, we were greeted by some really neat looking strata, and the block remained largely intact....</div><div><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tbody><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right"></td></tr></tbody></table><table style="width:auto;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/andrea.thomer/NewYearNewDirt?feat=embedwebsite#5435290779980327890"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz6RfTVLKt_2obSfB12bu2FZqsBS-mpZI7h8hDgJvWCDhqbNpbnMrH394Z-9FVlZ53Z-_i7Jyc4aRAy96FELvmtwAylKw0L62kX9857JsTKnaTayieY6U5uUMDNEldVWMaDBogIZse-sty/s800/pat.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">Pat Simun wins MVV (most valuable volunteer) From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/andrea.thomer/NewYearNewDirt?feat=embedwebsite">New Year, New Dirt</a></td></tr></tbody></table>...after removing some of the looser chunks of earth. If we do this sort of thing again, I think we'll only remove the top half of the wooden crate. That way we'll still see the layers, but with some extra stability.<br /><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/1eVK-BDO-XJWBGXbAnwKxQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3PtX77gjRT8GiErtWO1tZbF-li6eircwzRYsjO7n6A_d5ZndRnjuzGE-OjZjQP3e52mSNZ6LirVLITu91RCPhqiwKxEAqm3L7iRiJqT4gkbFJyFK59nTr1UnzWJAsL7DeHDB7xMEWdF32/s800/5b-with-grids.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">If only lasers actually worked this well. From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/andrea.thomer/NewYearNewDirt?feat=embedwebsite">New Year, New Dirt</a></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div>As in other deposits we divided this one up into grids, and are excavating one grid "column" at a time, and creating detailed stratigraphic drawings and lots of photos as we go.</div><div><br /></div><div>So, as I said, one of the benefits of this excavation method is that we are getting a much better idea of the deposit's geology than we otherwise would, because we're looking at so much of it at one time. The contact between the asphalt and the surrounding silts and clays is <i>much </i>more defined than we've seen in the other deposits from Project 23.<br /><table style="width:auto;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Xaelo8pcJTEtv-sulWodfA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_C0gBdeSjznM/S24IMxfdOwI/AAAAAAAAAgw/fCXCU3AArrk/s800/neatlookingdirt.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/andrea.thomer/NewYearNewDirt?feat=embedwebsite">New Year, New Dirt</a></td></tr></tbody></table>And as excavation has progressed, we've found that there are some truly unique and interesting things about this deposit:</div><div><br /></div><div>1) there are <i>two</i> very distinct layers of asphalt within 5B-- likely from two different venting/entrapment episodes, and possibly thousands of years apart from one another... or maybe only 10 -- we won't know until we start carbon dating things. You can hopefully see them in the photo below -- one near the top surface of the deposit, and on near the bottom.</div><div>2) there is a partially articulated CAMEL (<i>Camelops hesternus</i>) skeleton in the top layer! This is huge -- camels are fairly rare in our collections, and articulated skeletons are rarer still.<br /><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Xmdet8LakYbUQQL8eMIdzg?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicAUqf4nxSB8rkGWtQvHJzIF-ggqTPVqsHN2v5e2-rdCrFPX4QGCn9T9dyFJ1AoFZe_jj-ZdTTE8WIAxOSj_5a9u8M2OyY0ddb8NQhzgZB5Rl5fdLRnKe9ktwnfZgArJLzUdqpDwKaL0fQ/s800/5btoday2.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/andrea.thomer/NewYearNewDirt?feat=embedwebsite">New Year, New Dirt</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br />So far we've recovered its humerus:</div><div><table style="width:auto;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/7eLqYGDdQtxejq8Lj0quRQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_C0gBdeSjznM/S24IJwE2-0I/AAAAAAAAAgg/rEPXmOZvcvg/s800/IMGP6604.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/andrea.thomer/NewYearNewDirt?feat=embedwebsite">New Year, New Dirt</a></td></tr></tbody></table>its lower jaw and skull:</div><div><table style="width:auto;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Nbg4UM4POnVEIGcvqn1eLA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjOU903PMFu1hrCVu9CQtCS_gGiyN6sZCuLkH_eejG_fOLFbxzu4GyQ1sIpH2IwixEwmYCuHDQ4VYyfRYY756RpT1AzCXDeti3nLLqag0uGS1PiOm6TP2LQa5Tm_2SXL3qFMEqIueq9qs0/s800/IMGP5984.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/andrea.thomer/NewYearNewDirt?feat=embedwebsite">New Year, New Dirt</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div>and about 6-7 thoracic vertebrae:</div><div><table style="width:auto;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/VHs1cBu1vU_93OkEHUyFqg?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5Fna9D_ivonSlSrpT_Fpzg3Up-scXgm1bH14Mnk2o5yxAonLQRUib5DO7DFvmoVPjIRapK4z4vgaeVZzge9j3GWhYeJN1WfPgSS5TEIWWHdZxaE22b-hGyZnqZRH7Z4_MkOaSy1e30fQv/s800/IMGP6786.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">Kristen's forearms are awesomely recognizable. From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/andrea.thomer/NewYearNewDirt?feat=embedwebsite">New Year, New Dirt</a></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><br /></div><div>That's the camel's skull up top, and a line of four thoracic verts below. Very exciting.</div><div><br /></div><div>Meanwhile, in deposit 1, we are still digging away:</div><div><table style="width:auto;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/andrea.thomer/NewYearNewDirt?feat=embedwebsite#5435290768648840050"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_C0gBdeSjznM/S24IKBxGI3I/AAAAAAAAAgk/iJ3E9W4n7ew/s800/IMGP5906.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/andrea.thomer/NewYearNewDirt?feat=embedwebsite">New Year, New Dirt</a></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div>As I think I've mentioned before, there are several grids worth of broken bones in very hard sediment -- the dirt is harder than the fossils. It's difficult, slow work. We've started taking them out of large bone masses like this:<br /><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/andrea.thomer/NewYearNewDirt?feat=embedwebsite#5435290892101120274"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_C0gBdeSjznM/S24IRNqacRI/AAAAAAAAAhM/8r5TumSoLv0/s800/IMGP6560.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/andrea.thomer/NewYearNewDirt?feat=embedwebsite">New Year, New Dirt</a></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div>Awful looking, right? However, the strategic breaks made while taking the bone mass out of the ground SHOULD be easier to repair than the accidental ones made while trying to take each individual bone fragment out.</div><div><br /></div><div>That having been said, after the block has been run through our brand new degreaser...<br /><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/andrea.thomer/NewYearNewDirt?feat=embedwebsite#5435293708410536866"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIJAIOmnqgWb5wJfUO88nC30Gi_jx6-BxdAsmCOE9Do9ymIFYCPKIiyUfSjmY2eaFfFMzDsGoDWCnnfUZLe9_KJsLtNqSAXjd9fIzw69-_hsGZiecudmd24VXdVRPQOdo1zc2EV4ewTT89/s800/new3.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/andrea.thomer/NewYearNewDirt?feat=embedwebsite">New Year, New Dirt</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/andrea.thomer/NewYearNewDirt?feat=embedwebsite#5435290992342900866"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAie2zw_Izec98ndSV5eBqeJ_2_VpJTInSV5MpIYlWDOd7-jr5FQETsNZJ9a4P6BMspbH26k2MYE7QQDw8kOzZ9qNlwOtzi9RDS_JQSqRlRe6aow4ESpmYClEMK79htFTgY0mtTWXmUkXD/s800/IMGP5798.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/andrea.thomer/NewYearNewDirt?feat=embedwebsite">New Year, New Dirt</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/andrea.thomer/NewYearNewDirt?feat=embedwebsite#5435290883726573810"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi55D9IbkvP75bLzO-xi2Z3wawyfp1RZhYiI-UVEm7U9bW6ZSYGsO2WWAsd-voyFAsabxMJuwhbhm89PoZa_TsUeHs5ElbBNVvUiuyvHD8iCgk_pKs1zexkLzKO-ReBCey23bE0BtmSL5mL/s800/IMGP6583.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/andrea.thomer/NewYearNewDirt?feat=embedwebsite">New Year, New Dirt</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/andrea.thomer/NewYearNewDirt?feat=embedwebsite#5435293706562519394"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK9L3_6jGXjbHr2SznxoFPvUBPKCX7PYzxityfOrkQWNdG70ZDC0Tox1HMfbnTmvvoxQEPfRt_FZvn-vflKlQeiP0Qs9kdAkVqr9MxR8VDUkZJPgHCkQiXWnW3l1vi90ogkaAOIojWd5q8/s800/new2.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/andrea.thomer/NewYearNewDirt?feat=embedwebsite">New Year, New Dirt</a></td></tr></tbody></table>The bones come out looking great. This particular chunk had three dire wolf metapodials in it -- perhaps all from the same wolf paw:<br /><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/andrea.thomer/NewYearNewDirt?feat=embedwebsite#5435290857337733474"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRtSMRXiUdSkEtVZzSCTWVHXmhny_PdwWazqNBnMxD6pICw6F_kebUQ1wGmktvslO7LAh0Q1ioGLnogcAqqI3lt978brNZq98ShXszeJ_xq1l5l6PQ-B7_82dj2qejTpFhNa_yygJpHL2M/s800/dogmetapodials.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/andrea.thomer/NewYearNewDirt?feat=embedwebsite">New Year, New Dirt</a></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div>Note how little of that matrix is made up of actual dirt -- by and large it's plant and bone material. We're still working the kinks out of our degreasing system: figuring out how best to operate it, how many people we need to run it, how best to sort through the resulting <i>thousands</i> of microfossils...</div><div><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/andrea.thomer/NewYearNewDirt?feat=embedwebsite#5435293702230161378"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX7Gk_ghKFu76_enl7nPred65m38FsfWs0EYiFZIAlMpgCA7gTf5MysG1gD8CvGhJvSQ1IsF_GR3kFIXoVMHJeSNFEMQfkC4ccz0WLR2WjjRKKchwN3UWkyeDT1gXID0JGJ4xARtIarQz7/s800/new-1.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">Well, I suppose that's better than a fork... From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/andrea.thomer/NewYearNewDirt?feat=embedwebsite">New Year, New Dirt</a></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">It's frankly overwhelming. We degreased a bucket of bones from the original APRMI salvage of the LACMA parking lot -- it was about 1/4 of the way full, and labeled "spoils" (i.e. not in situ, from pulled out of the ground by a tractor and left off to the side). The results:</span></div><div style="text-align: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><table style="width:auto;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/andrea.thomer/NewYearNewDirt?feat=embedwebsite#5435290902184241122"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Fx0vsPgkYfB-HABC5PK1jKPhU1ZoS-LbkOl7vQi7Sr4RrpW52TqoCo4GfzAok4OVAwwDM0B3OKrACpsQk4hjNOOhgpAJ2rkQnq5_XaCX6timfcrCLGmNLHXJqX8K_DI9naOFO0LKhC1B/s800/IMGP6554.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/andrea.thomer/NewYearNewDirt?feat=embedwebsite">New Year, New Dirt</a><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><i>Thousands</i> of bones. In one 1/4 filled bucket. Eagle beaks, rodent teeth, a bird synsacrum...<br /><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/andrea.thomer/NewYearNewDirt?feat=embedwebsite#5435290950718234114"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjARou0ZT3MVh2qlFA5JEchPW1DEAOGgEW6ywdXALuRAgua3eN9fhU9lcfmwEW_KiJ1jgKcB6nxaTiyF01A2QYS0bpfy6niuOZppcrzRhIm8IGJQOZMoC_hzG3__4-5srYXGOvMGH_hiPOr/s800/IMGP6541.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/andrea.thomer/NewYearNewDirt?feat=embedwebsite">New Year, New Dirt</a></td></tr></tbody></table>a complete and perfect weasel dentary...<br /><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/andrea.thomer/NewYearNewDirt?feat=embedwebsite#5435290924446147682"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCIA0-GHrwtxdpP7MBr6LthfkAG1TJSNI_Oh40eyYpi9aH4I_oQ_SVl0eLQQl1toExueo_xCvoBtXTP1htLj6FlQj4M1euHfdLt6zfxxlUgh-n2f7xKD_MkxiQPirhzIq3D-RoYzC1326Z/s800/IMGP6551.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/andrea.thomer/NewYearNewDirt?feat=embedwebsite">New Year, New Dirt</a></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div>several dozen assorted rabbit, rodent, and bird elements...<br /><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/andrea.thomer/NewYearNewDirt?feat=embedwebsite#5435290916829308898"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJX5Yry44yuUFh_Hp25Ky1IBtmwkgXIn4xOTIvGvkW2Tk7N89JZjfmwlWAQ0TPp0dOWMkSCWT_4vVBCYmxuYAIaMME_xfjt5e4PDdAXtmS6fqeZ0nmdjl9eoHr1vL0EptDN3gRGLuQnbOl/s800/IMGP6552.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/andrea.thomer/NewYearNewDirt?feat=embedwebsite">New Year, New Dirt</a></td></tr></tbody></table>tarsometatarsi from at least 4 different species of birds...<br /><br /><table style="width:auto;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/andrea.thomer/NewYearNewDirt?feat=embedwebsite#5435290899011695250"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS6wfrgNWkIiCSrjndXLdUuk7KwhC5XJnolqswAZVrNHAwEAgyLhwvx2VWPyB-U0ZZpewDNSZCCCuHY00vJ-UTTw8hIICB485cUAZIKwDPhPFZT6w2cUOFdlWtPAmbnTGcZXD9Xe2GlOho/s800/IMGP6555.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/andrea.thomer/NewYearNewDirt?feat=embedwebsite">New Year, New Dirt</a></td></tr></tbody></table>and last but not least a lizard jaw. <br /><br /></div><div>And that's just 1 out of 327 spoils buckets, not to mention the who-knows-how-many-hundred matrix buckets scattered throughout the compound...</div><div><table style="width:auto;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/0NLmDoa7tcry5m45CMccXw?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_C0gBdeSjznM/S24II8KIkII/AAAAAAAAAgc/2SUv6yDyj4o/s800/IMGP5874.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/andrea.thomer/NewYearNewDirt?feat=embedwebsite">New Year, New Dirt</a></td></tr></tbody></table>Long story short: there's a lot of work to be done.</div><div><br /></div><div>So, speaking of working: in the hopes of revitalizing this poor ignored blog, I'm thinking future posts will be faaaar shorter -- like, one photo and a paragraph -- but hopefully far more frequent. That way, you get more posts, and I can spend my Sundays doing Important Weekend Things like cleaning the tar out from my fingernails, getting the tar out from my laundry, and rollerblading (all at the same time? perhaps!), rather than writing about work when I'm not... actually... at... work. Not that I don't love the tar ranch! I just also love Venice Beach. </div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6328641822461120503.post-61909158784955349432009-11-16T09:47:00.000-08:002009-11-19T14:04:25.781-08:00update: more sabertoothed cats and kittens<table style="WIDTH: auto"><tbody></tbody><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/U4W6STUUFDBtTZsbghD6kg?authkey=Gv1sRgCIzYqvPo8dzFyQE&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE8TUq5ubNHEpJWIQF5F4a_5UEobZhZ_zrXlKXZefGpfaEbQEJ8dksGbkNNgTj6bKXdgasPzugcXPuk9wvcBhR-pe6k61UXNnJjpqtmqqnL7tgJdG1fhG8SxXjlwaLrG6b6eg_uQ7FIXig/s400/IMG_3179.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="TEXT-ALIGN: right; FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif; FONT-SIZE: 11px">Solar flares over our pulley. From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/andrea.thomer/BackInDep1?authkey=Gv1sRgCIzYqvPo8dzFyQE&feat=embedwebsite">Back in Dep 1</a></td></tr></tbody></table>As I reported last post, we've moved back into the big box: Deposit 1!! And look how excited everyone is:<br /><br /><table style="WIDTH: auto"><tbody></tbody><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/JfyRW-0SrosQIsvpJpL4vQ?authkey=Gv1sRgCIzYqvPo8dzFyQE&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_C0gBdeSjznM/SvTMDGQyRDI/AAAAAAAAAXQ/xWH-9HAL7HE/s400/IMGP5475.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="TEXT-ALIGN: right; FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif; FONT-SIZE: 11px">Volunteers Christina Lutz and Tara Thara. From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/andrea.thomer/BackInDep1?authkey=Gv1sRgCIzYqvPo8dzFyQE&feat=embedwebsite">Back in Dep 1</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Those are the smiles of happy fossil finders. Why? Because they're actually finding fossils again! Between mostly planty deposit 7A, and really hard and sterile parts of deposit 1, we're been spending entirely too much time digging up dirt rather than fossils. Dirt = not fun. Fossils = awesome. It's very simple.<br /><br />I've posted many, many pictures of this bone bed before (it's where we found our North American Lion skull and assorted long bones). And it's once again producing some really great feline finds:<br /><br /><table style="WIDTH: auto"><tbody></tbody><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/p8pbliVw0-8TawE-G9M14Q?authkey=Gv1sRgCIzYqvPo8dzFyQE&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2eo4meWWgn_Cpzg-PQnbskwu-LgtSQOulQnJnJMrEG-_BqmdVIe2e2lqmWmQXMqPzbsrR_PyVuDu1FuIXFhh1-vWRLWfvD99A9HdzHE9-THnwUVDqrirWIzB1V8XvFhU4SwC3_li3wvJ-/s400/IMG_2969.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="TEXT-ALIGN: right; FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif; FONT-SIZE: 11px">Sabertoothed cat skull! From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/andrea.thomer/BackInDep1?authkey=Gv1sRgCIzYqvPo8dzFyQE&feat=embedwebsite">Back in Dep 1</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br />The big dusty skull-looking thing on the bottom is a... big, dusty sabertoothed cat skull, with a complete sabertoothed cat pelvis immediately above it. And look a little above the skull and to the right:<br /><br /><table style="WIDTH: auto"><tbody></tbody><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/5oTb7-fCnT7FMy1d9IXJZQ?authkey=Gv1sRgCIzYqvPo8dzFyQE&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf3zzLYT1J1-K5LPd7hwn2B624t80zY_jm5iurTjWkMinXteUGwvBGfpoYmtu9Y3XTBw-ryK_IB2zTg9xaAX-W0I3V3GVEtyfj9pFOOZUCFogi7J5icMSndYt5zRm1pPFKz-nGzX60xoTL/s400/IMGP5482.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="TEXT-ALIGN: right; FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif; FONT-SIZE: 11px"><i>Smilodon</i> saber in situ. From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/andrea.thomer/BackInDep1?authkey=Gv1sRgCIzYqvPo8dzFyQE&feat=embedwebsite">Back in Dep 1</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br />It's a <i>complete</i> sabertoothed cat saber! <div><br /><table style="WIDTH: auto"><tbody></tbody><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/CyyyMi15VVNiZhqxrzRDfQ?authkey=Gv1sRgCIzYqvPo8dzFyQE&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFl0KQ5g9dms5M56qS_PBYorUtX3LuzoGtC6CBDgUYK4ZGeQXoBM_VQrnfz3ivnTyX4X5vSSYbY4P3PyeN82ZuKziq_UspOSHWvzB1uWmxfEou1t1gNzrbg5MV71UXxJLuwXltihHkWGed/s400/IMGP5480.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="TEXT-ALIGN: right; FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif; FONT-SIZE: 11px"> <i>Smilodon </i> saber in one piece! From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/andrea.thomer/BackInDep1?authkey=Gv1sRgCIzYqvPo8dzFyQE&feat=embedwebsite">Back in Dep 1</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>And in the grid directly across from this one, we found 2 more sabertoothed cat <i>kitten</i> sabers:<div><br /></div><div><table style="width:auto;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/XPpZlJR5N5T_MK6A3wt6xw?authkey=Gv1sRgCIzYqvPo8dzFyQE&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1VS8ELFzW-8Ay2Ig3UMTqnXPDJVW_b9kLlT1cxfipAZw6sUpGuOgDcATYmXBdyD35zqO94E_cBMhEYvzibKRAiaOVFzf1UBgqw59zQjOADiu1hxNiZcejAf8zUMakTHY1OMWghvtuhczt/s400/IMGP5687.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">Volunteer Steven Wintergerst holding a <i>Smilodon</i> kitten saber<br />From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/andrea.thomer/BackInDep1?authkey=Gv1sRgCIzYqvPo8dzFyQE&feat=embedwebsite">Back in Dep 1</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br />This may bring our (estimated) minimum number of sabertoothed cats in this deposit to around 7: 3-4 juveniles, 1 sub-adult (teenager) and at least 2 adults (I will have to double check these number with the lab). It's actually possible to match sabers to skulls, by taking casts of the alveolus (tooth socket) and comparing the cast to the tooth! This is something we might want to do in the distant future; because this deposit is so small we may be better able to discern which bones belong to which individual cat -- especially for these 4 "kittens" we've found. Yes, they're all young, but they're not of the exact same age (which makes me think this isn't a singular litter that got stuck). So by determining the age of each young sabertoothed cat bone we find, we can figure out whose limbs are whose, and then perhaps extrapolate from that how much the asphalt has moved/disturbed the skeletons since they first got stuck 10-40 thousand years ago.</div><div><br /></div><div>In non-mammalian news:</div><div><br /><table style="WIDTH: auto"><tbody></tbody><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/H-Lf7kbACW7M5tsKsc0N6g?authkey=Gv1sRgCIzYqvPo8dzFyQE&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEU1Mkm-FQkgp3-jAgJIAczQXVcB2m_KSWRxF4qzG72FakGgDRYyuGps_4r_BUojXEXKkeb3h_sUrHPYZLlb-yQWmxAbi1vMr7ZZbv5HG_lbtXEXr_1H6uXR0LwhL-iKOiyMou6G3O0_mE/s400/IMGP5435.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="TEXT-ALIGN: right; FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif; FONT-SIZE: 11px">Turtle shell! From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/andrea.thomer/BackInDep1?authkey=Gv1sRgCIzYqvPo8dzFyQE&feat=embedwebsite">Back in Dep 1</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div>2 partial turtle shells have come out of the formerly sterile areas west of the main bone deposit. Turtle shells are made out of a number of interlocking plates, and while the individual plates are extremely common, articulated/associated ones are not -- in fact, these may be the only even semi-complete shells we've ever found at Rancho La Brea. Trevor's been working on them in the lab, and has one of them somewhat reconstructed (which he will hopefully tell you all about at some later date if he ever gets around to making a blog post, hint hint).</div><div><br /></div><div>FINALLY two other items of business:</div><div>1) This is Carrie!</div><div><br /></div><div><table style="width:auto;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/hPbDYd3Grd1zj79TEVys7A?authkey=Gv1sRgCIzYqvPo8dzFyQE&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgwjFip1MRqjRgFHwmg2wfBeumPi1GumGg_SbpDOWln5cX3Il8pQx5-caPBUHGOB5bmfKnN4bJCYKDD8Wy5w0moOx6hYAmB7KGnmgRr9cACsmYEMDVHF0RB8fD-lf6k9gRX74k6Fpvylje/s400/IMG_2780.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">New excavator Carrie Howard! From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/andrea.thomer/BackInDep1?authkey=Gv1sRgCIzYqvPo8dzFyQE&feat=embedwebsite">Back in Dep 1</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br />She works here now! She likes rocks and photography and is generally great.</div><div><br /></div><div>2) I don't often share links on here, but for those who are interested in science education in America and the general fight to keep evolutionary biology from being grievously misunderstood may find <a href="http://www.dontdissdarwin.com/">http://www.dontdissdarwin.com/</a> helpful.<br /><br /></div><div>Next post: so, what's in that barn-looking building next to the trailer?</div><div><br /></div><div><table style="WIDTH: auto"><tbody></tbody><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/K_nNfG5kQHdIgWCVZ40fdA?authkey=Gv1sRgCIzYqvPo8dzFyQE&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_C0gBdeSjznM/SvTNCTsf75I/AAAAAAAAAXY/lZCf8KSlvNQ/s400/IMGP5617.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="TEXT-ALIGN: right; FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif; FONT-SIZE: 11px"> Greg A. hunts for lunch by Pit 10 From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/andrea.thomer/BackInDep1?authkey=Gv1sRgCIzYqvPo8dzFyQE&feat=embedwebsite">Back in Dep 1</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div>No, it is not dinosaur! It is a degreaser, which is far more useful and hopefully far less dangerous! More later.</div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6328641822461120503.post-37655826787154633102009-10-17T16:23:00.000-07:002009-11-16T10:35:41.787-08:00update: out of 7A, back in to deposit 1<table style="WIDTH: auto"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/j-KCAFyXFxKe_XlHa8ok6Q?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_C0gBdeSjznM/SsaVYMxGyoI/AAAAAAAAAQs/3eOIxPXlfs8/s400/IMGP5048.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="TEXT-ALIGN: right; FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif; FONT-SIZE: 11px">they escaped from the tar pits, but not from each other: these two dragonflies were<br />found flying around together, attached at the hip by asphalt. Michelle kindly helped<br />free them. From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/andrea.thomer/7AAndBackInto1?feat=embedwebsite">7A and back into 1</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Right. So we've been working steadily in deposit 7A, and are about 1/2 a meter down in all areas. There were three bones immediately visible on the surface (all sliced by the tractor that found them, and horribly dried out), but other than that we've yet to find any substantial vertebrate fossil deposit. We've found a few scattered pieces of turtle shell (not to mention some extremely odd fragments of <i>mineralized</i> bone -- very rare for Rancho la Brea!) but none of the big jumbly bone masses we've come to know and love. What we have found:<br /><br /><table style="WIDTH: auto"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/andrea.thomer/7AAndBackInto1?feat=embedwebsite#5388159641760327330"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgke3D7_1juNd3tMvWcSdzNgGg7npu-Am7ejr-wWkX9gDg_gTTJfAYAfH2Qt1QP06F2RjCYR-WEoaB8_pS3Z-a7rn9W97QbYj3C7h3XLAqnigi4VQUtEEQqmsBILfuJ5FCdt1HkZQEOj4g/s400/IMGP5008.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="TEXT-ALIGN: right; FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif; FONT-SIZE: 11px">Shells shells shells! From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/andrea.thomer/7AAndBackInto1?feat=embedwebsite">7A and back into 1</a></td></tr></tbody></table>Gastropods! And lots of them.<br /><br /><table style="WIDTH: auto"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/andrea.thomer/7AAndBackInto1?feat=embedwebsite#5388159824891226418"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy9vIX4LL0PimXqurKcPAxdRj6X-heTpGJSscvulJBhLWgmkW4_MA_8wE4V1QrPRFvuKAkL5vFvK_8t3dLezTTo57xHt59YjrTjUAcyfCqR-9Un7ygY4TROMh9rpe8mQtc9vcp8PQ6cqxL/s400/IMGP5013.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="TEXT-ALIGN: right; FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif; FONT-SIZE: 11px">excavator hand for scale, From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/andrea.thomer/7AAndBackInto1?feat=embedwebsite">7A and back into 1</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />These freshwater snail shells are further contextualized by the immense amount of plant material we've been getting out of the deposit as well; the northeastern corner of the deposit is filled with what appear to be tree branches (but possibly roots). Additionally, there's some interesting stratigraphy going on in this deposit: layers of river sand and large rounded rocks.<br /><br /><br />But as of yet no big vertebrate fossils. Boo.<br /><br /><br />For that reason (and because we're acutely aware we're already one year into a five year project!), we've put deposit 7A on hold, and re-doubled our efforts in deposit 1 (the big box we first started in). <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span><br /><br /><table style="WIDTH: auto"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/andrea.thomer/7AAndBackInto1?feat=embedwebsite#5388161389897047554"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_C0gBdeSjznM/SsaYPIVJ3gI/AAAAAAAAARg/sC2Y9X1iMsM/s400/IMGP5035.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="TEXT-ALIGN: right; FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif; FONT-SIZE: 11px">That's usin' your head, Russ. From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/andrea.thomer/7AAndBackInto1?feat=embedwebsite">7A and back into 1</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />And we've made some really impressive progress! But more on that next post. Until then, I leave you with this month's "What is it?" Check out the photo below, and leave a comment with your guess of species and element! Correct guesses win a congratulatory shout out on the next post, and the knowledge that they have bettered their internet peers!<br /><span style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2pxfont-size:medium;" class="Apple-style-span" ><span style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px" class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></span><br /><table style="WIDTH: auto"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/zKIoT9G7zxoDiVSMOmGbQg?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi34DBgHpOwKFFRaS8CqU8psGLR6nTLhbuKCjAVeKtUaCGsehnGYWegPHihb6A4-dlGsLmTNgQ9OukYP6w-YbQC_FvmWAQpUFTzssPyfTYdHRkOxX8AIh-SQdC7WlzoupeLI_4FEMUw0GkM/s400/IMGP5472.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="TEXT-ALIGN: right; FONT-FAMILY: arial, sans-serif; FONT-SIZE: 11px">I'll give you a hint: it's a fossil. From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/andrea.thomer/WhatIsIt?feat=embedwebsite">What is it?</a></td></tr></tbody></table>Happy guessing!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6328641822461120503.post-12755573490111458252009-10-01T15:57:00.000-07:002009-10-05T08:10:11.922-07:00what we did over our summer vacation:<table style="text-align: center;width: auto; "><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/sUseIJewFfp1CnBzZIp_9Q?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVyqtHBAUvOYfOFj8DTXtaGgiLzNwVzKuFRa0sx5Oi-u07eTQOQwBAkpQben1drlfBoL-vc1udwul9OIkBRWQ8e300wUf4pivfgHmIIwuOgCzg54Dg4mIYzrwOcnOMcZSnMTxRBYs3JQx2/s400/IMGP4600.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">The scarab beetle in our compost pile says hello<br />From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/andrea.thomer/EndOf7BBeginningOf7A?feat=embedwebsite">End of 7B, Beginning of 7A</a></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Well, not a vacation from digging -- just a vacation from blogging. Apologies to all, and regular updates will commence henceforth. SO:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><table style="text-align: center;width: auto; "><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/aZ56gsqgymEtASEwxeumiw?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrlCo85U44y8O6lzj-EwWm-b3S-DjLRITqgUrnnkRkJZmFRR2lGM5twqJM8WkAuRcpkBAZvRGLhg38F0tpoafaOi0k9PSEMQforhqKnhiPQZM_Rt2V2HBf3k0IfpT5jK7l8A9-Gz8AMpfg/s400/IMGP4605.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">Nola hammers the lid on the last matrix bucket from deposit 7B<br />From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/andrea.thomer/EndOf7BBeginningOf7A?feat=embedwebsite">End of 7B, Beginning of 7A</a></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">We finished excavating deposit 7B in early August. Final tally of things found is still pending, but all in all, it was rather pleasantly fossiliferous. Some of the cooler finds include a number of potentially associated bison bones (the bison itself has been named James K. Polk), a mostly complete sabertoothed cat skull (named Bixby) (I will have to explain our naming conventions in a later post...), several unusually large sabertoothed cat limb bones that might belong to Bixby, several rattlesnake vertebrae, a gopher skull, the usual slew of dire wolf bones, and lots and lots of tree branches (tentatively ID'd as manzanita). And nicely enough, 7B continued to produce bones down to its final few layers:</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><table style="text-align: center;width: auto; "><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/4PlDuD-07RXsutj87M5hCQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_C0gBdeSjznM/Sp2azEcTRNI/AAAAAAAAAKg/5JyOGpVCo00/s400/IMGP4614.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">Sabertoothed cat cervical vertebra<br />From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/andrea.thomer/EndOf7BBeginningOf7A?feat=embedwebsite">End of 7B, Beginning of 7A</a></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">This sabertoothed cat vertebra was found at the very bottom of the deposit. As you can see, the right-hand side of the vert was sheared off in the process of putting a bottom on the box -- no good! Ah well -- such is paleo-salvage. Of the 327 buckets recovered from the LACMA site, a substantial number were labeled "Deposit 7." Someday (hopefully sooner rather than later), we will degrease the buckets and try to find this vertebra's missing half, but for now, we best be moving on...</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><table style="text-align: center;width: auto; "><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/M_YaXlxbTGJFsv90_Mdq-Q?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs6bnmcf1EwTFy3CaOmGO0UTb-91N955I7WN3Zx03pR2aKH8_Zm_00Tkvbd_d1m_dWTQzVocI97C7xUlh7IbOe8qf0yQqYhBYAcghllWItpUwVs87vuj6L2TBVCOqcahFyETVZxCNgVKZm/s400/IMGP4736.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">Deposit 7A<br />From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/andrea.thomer/EndOf7BBeginningOf7A?feat=embedwebsite">End of 7B, Beginning of 7A</a></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">...to deposit 7A! 7A's a bit bigger than 7B, so we built this nifty railing to keep us from plummeting to our deaths (or, more likely, tumbling to a sprained ankle, but whatever, SAFETY FIRST dang it), and we've got some strategically placed Little Giant ladders around to help us in and out. But check out that silver thing on the side:</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><table style="text-align: center;width: auto; "><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/tlsWypyGfgQt_XBMUeg15A?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsbjwjMudWGQemw0-m36Bjxwf9sVcj_bNsv-Q1F50u8xIb4SXk10L9OU4CRoZIESGj46hFXdjtM8nrdU3uUwIAp1uPb1ZlMQvu1ztIyCKhAAd1xemVhMtkgxnBIttDn-J1R6vkeO1hKppb/s400/IMGP4737.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">it's like a slide for matrix! wheee!<br />From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/andrea.thomer/EndOf7BBeginningOf7A?feat=embedwebsite">End of 7B, Beginning of 7A</a></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Rather than breaking our backs hauling buckets in and out of the box, Michelle came up with the great idea of leaving the buckets on the ground, and using a make-shift funnel to pour the matrix in. GENIUS! And I can't believe we didn't think of it earlier. It's not about working harder -- it's about working <i>smarter</i>.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">After finding deposit 7B fossiliferous to the very end, we had high hopes for 7A, but were (understandably, I think) a bit disappointed to find only this dehydrated mess greeting us on the deposit's surface:</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><table style="text-align: center;width: auto; "><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/p2UuBn7CRmPR3C2uEB7zgA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZlCNtLWcRoiz9YpVhSZvZYnte3zyFUzVB-Q2aHe-tF32ZOWbFfz1J5aodxSbLSJeU-CmrkrWVXuSXcoiwGYyQrdn1JSsiCb57ArUA2JCccM7DlrAwd9ApTBledqGNaCARIyuS9DNhZXXO/s400/IMGP4734.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">that chalky stuff in the center is bone. ugh.<br />From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/andrea.thomer/EndOf7BBeginningOf7A?feat=embedwebsite">End of 7B, Beginning of 7A</a></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Blech. Nevertheless, we soldier on! We've been working on Deposit 7A for about 2 months now, and we have found a few specimens, here and there...</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><table style="text-align: center;width: auto; "><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/icqJNuMyppRNFLw0i1AiRg?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizuLelH51oYr9y33TKNRn3g1djSFadcPCeg3G20-DicGKWyhisYKyFDpRaP3J_2SqOSppuAJnd_sQAjomIzTkJ541ryqeIEbXyMZS3zcUJo-Hyv9388g9ORHwfn9esmkwiJIplta4bx1OV/s400/IMGP4732.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">Laura finds a specimen here, a specimen there...<br />From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/andrea.thomer/EndOf7BBeginningOf7A?feat=embedwebsite">End of 7B, Beginning of 7A</a><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>...but more on that next post, which I promise will be next week (I don't want to overwhelm you after my long absence). Cheers!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6328641822461120503.post-42668101741615824252009-09-04T01:49:00.000-07:002009-09-04T01:53:25.163-07:00Boo!This is The Ghost of the Lone Male Excavator! I just wanted to drop in and announce that I have nothing paleontological to report. Also, I await the next blog post from Andrea ...rattle, rattle, rattle...<br />Aloha.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6328641822461120503.post-18292860739025169642009-07-28T16:56:00.001-07:002009-07-28T19:22:44.165-07:00With Ryan gone, life is much daintier here at Rancho La Brea. <p><br /><p align="center"><a title="dainty dainty dainty" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/3767481222/"><img alt="dainty dainty dainty" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2444/3767481222_dc6727f242_o.jpg" width="450" height="600" /></a><br /><i><span style="font-size:78%;">ping ping ping!</span></i></p><br /><p>However, this does not mean that we are not still capable of great feats of strength: <p><br /><p align="center"><a title="meena angry, meena smash!" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/3766682865/"><img alt="meena angry, meena smash!" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3459/3766682865_9dd9719185_o.jpg" width="450" height="600" /></a><br /><i><span style="font-size:78%;">once, this was a chisel. now, it is rubble. such is life.</span></i></p><br /><p>as is evidenced by the still-growing pile of broken tools left in our wake (volunteer Meena broke this one...)<br /><p>Thus, over the last week our girlie muscles have brought Deposit 7B down almost a meter below its original grade. 7B is small, and not densely fossiliferous, but nevertheless productive enough to stay interesting:<br /><p align="center"><a title="7b as it was... and never shall be again." href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/3766683069/"><img alt="7b as it was... and never shall be again." src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3428/3766683069_86a6753d0a_o.jpg" width="600" height="450" /></a></p><br /><p>The femur is the latest of several sabertoothed cat bones we've excavated from this area (including a skull!), and we're wondering if they're all from the same individual animal. We won't know for sure until they're cleaned and officially identified by the folks in the lab. <br /><br />Less immediately exciting, but still important: there's a huge chunk of rock hard oxidized asphalt right in the middle of the deposit. There are bones around this asphalt, but not in it. We think this might be a vent -- the fissure in the ground that the asphalt originally oozed up from! We've seen this in Pit 91 before, but haven't been able to observe it as well as now. We only worked in Pit 91 for 12 weeks out of the year, and would only excavate a fraction of the exposed grids each season. This means that though interesting geological features were documented, it would sometimes take years to see if they continued another foot below the surface -- just because it took us that long to excavate the entire floor. Working year round with smaller deposits is allowing us to focus on unexpected geologic/taphonomic environments like this one.<br /><br />I mentioned the lab earlier, and soon we'll have a proper Update From Indoors but until then:<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/B70GIYu2o-4&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/B70GIYu2o-4&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />here's a soundtrack-less time lapse of the preparation of Zed's right femur. Still a work in progress, but you get the general idea. Email subscribers: visit excavatrix.blogspot.com to see the video. Or scroll down:<br /><br /><a title="zed's femur" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/3744540484/"><img alt="zed's femur" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3517/3744540484_de31207beb_o.jpg" width="450" height="338" /></a><br /><br />to see Zed's femur in it's shiny, well polished glory.<br /><br />That's it for now, more later!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6328641822461120503.post-70406633946059125282009-07-21T16:45:00.000-07:002009-07-21T17:40:48.463-07:00may the force be with ryan<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/3743790533/" title="ryan's favorite outfit by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3434/3743790533_1671d507f0_o.jpg" alt="ryan's favorite outfit" width="253" height="450" /></a><br /></div><br />Sad but true: our Lone Male Excavator has left us for more exotic locales (grad school in plant and soil sciences on <span style="font-weight:bold;">OAHU<span style="font-style:italic;"></span></span>) and we miss him already. Ryan has been a careful and conscientious excavator, a funny dude, a good friend, and last but not least, an incredibly snazzy dresser (plaid + camo = AWESOME). <br /><br />Yes, we will miss his hard work, his dedication to replacing shoring boards in the heat of summer, and his enviable ability to reach things on tall shelves, but we will also miss his encyclopedic knowledge of all things Star Wars, his willingness to talk in funny voices for our amusement, and perhaps most of all...<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/3744540518/" title="ryan's chair by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3490/3744540518_1e4c7e7111_o.jpg" alt="ryan's chair" width="338" height="450" /></a></div><br /><br />his <span style="font-style:italic;">unparalleled</span> ability to re-purpose old broken office furniture during his lunch break. The above photo may appear to be an ordinary office chair, but look closer! It is actually an office chair <span style="font-style:italic;">attached to another chair</span> because it broke off its original base. The wooden legs of the base chair have been careful sawed at an angle for maximum comfort.<br /><br />And what became of the base of the chair, you ask? BEHOLD:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/3743744783/" title="ryan's sidetable by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3455/3743744783_eaba6d987a_o.jpg" alt="ryan's sidetable" width="338" height="450" /></a></div><br /><br />This is quite possibly my favorite piece of furniture <span style="font-style:italic;">ever</span>. It's an end table! On WHEELS! This handcrafted beauty is made of another chair (with the back sawed off) screwed onto the base of the broken office chair, with a piece of laminate for a top. And it's the perfect height for chips and salsa!<br /><br />Finally, Ryan's coup de grace:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/3743744597/" title="ryan's desk by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2464/3743744597_bfa03d4d2f_o.jpg" alt="ryan's desk" width="450" height="337" /></a></div><br /><br />A genuinely well-made desk for volunteer Christina, made out of the side of box 10B (I think it's 10B). <br /><br />In conclusion: Ryan is awesome! We totally miss him! He is funny and us taught about plants and how to sharpen tools and such! However, on the bright side: we now have a couch to sleep on when we go to Oahu...<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/3743744819/" title="Godspeed, Ryan by the excavatrix, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2473/3743744819_36d8eae463_o.jpg" alt="Godspeed, Ryan" width="450" height="338" /></a></div><br /><br />Godspeed, Ryan, and may the force be with you.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6328641822461120503.post-48948167619004156572009-07-14T09:16:00.000-07:002009-07-15T09:23:40.202-07:00Final Note From the Lone Male ExcavatorShore, -ing. (Verb):<br /><div> </div><div>the process of replacing old side-wall boards in large dug-out spaces (e.g., Pit 91).<br /><br />This post will serve as both an introduction to some of the "other work" that excavators (and excavatrices) perform at Rancho La Brea and a documentation of the particular method of shoring board replacement that the Lone Male Excavator has developed.<br /><br />So as the thick boards holding up the side walls of Pit 91 grow old, they often bow out, rot out, or both. Up above the pit, 14ft x 11 3/4" x 2 3/4" boards are stored ready to be cut to an average of about 75" long for use as a shoring board.<br /><br />After a board is slated for replacement, of course it must be extracted. This is commonly far more difficult than it sounds. If the board is rotted to extremes on the ends locked in by the I-beams, then it is not too tough for a hatchet to cut through one end and pry the board out with a crowbar. If the board is not rotted away much at the ends, however, (as the boards pictured here) it can be quite difficult.<br /><br />Initially, a cut with a circular saw is made through the board(s) being replaced. This is very dangerous and every safety precaution must be taken at this point (e.g., clean goggles, steady hands, hard hat). It is also messy and anything, including one self, which should not get covered in sawdust should be protected. If two parallel cuts, about 2" apart are made, extraction will be easier. Our cordless circular saw, however, does not cut deep enough to go through to the back of the boards. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_68e5zR7AvVc/Sl36pbjxC8I/AAAAAAAACKk/c0jTtA-sJS0/s1600-h/Shoring.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 317px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_68e5zR7AvVc/Sl36pbjxC8I/AAAAAAAACKk/c0jTtA-sJS0/s400/Shoring.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358714721320111042" border="0" /></a><br />So I have added to this method inspired by the wisdom of William A. Akersten's thought on sabertooth cat incisor (front teeth) functional morphology.<br /><br />The points on large, cone-shaped incisors of <em>Smilodon fatalis </em>are separated to the extent that when they pinch together top to bottom and pierce into the skin of prey, they are thought to create a perforated line which allows for easy tearing off of chunks of flesh. When we are unable to pry/break out a board along the saw cuts, holes can be drilled along the cuts to create such perforated lines which can then be hacked trough easily or broken out through prying.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_68e5zR7AvVc/Sl37qIEdXmI/AAAAAAAACKs/TKNRi-lc754/s1600-h/Shoring+%281%29.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_68e5zR7AvVc/Sl37qIEdXmI/AAAAAAAACKs/TKNRi-lc754/s400/Shoring+%281%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358715832780021346" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_68e5zR7AvVc/Sl38RxY1RsI/AAAAAAAACK0/DaqMB6P54vM/s1600-h/Shoring+%283%29.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_68e5zR7AvVc/Sl38RxY1RsI/AAAAAAAACK0/DaqMB6P54vM/s400/Shoring+%283%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358716513886226114" border="0" /></a>Once a board is out, the wall of earth, often asphalt saturated, must be shaved a little with hand tools or, in dire need, a pneumatic chipper. Occasionally fossils are found in the side walls, so these must be watched for and documented when discovered.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_68e5zR7AvVc/Sl38gwCqMcI/AAAAAAAACK8/MUGNidh2oH4/s1600-h/Shoring+%284%29.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 112px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_68e5zR7AvVc/Sl38gwCqMcI/AAAAAAAACK8/MUGNidh2oH4/s400/Shoring+%284%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358716771222827458" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_68e5zR7AvVc/Sl380CJ5nUI/AAAAAAAACLE/8lbhqXq6A40/s1600-h/Shoring+%286%29.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 233px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_68e5zR7AvVc/Sl380CJ5nUI/AAAAAAAACLE/8lbhqXq6A40/s400/Shoring+%286%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358717102502550850" border="0" /></a></div><br /><div>Depending on the thickness of the new board and the bowing out of the old board shaving the walls may take up to a couple hours. Once this is done a measurement for the new board's length is taken, giving about an inch and a half behind the lip of each I-beam. (Often, when you think you've shaved enough and try to get the new board in, you find that a few spots need more shaving. The first of these two pictured here took me 3 attempts. I also found that I had cut it too long and had to take an inch off one end.)</div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_68e5zR7AvVc/Sl39HqujEDI/AAAAAAAACLM/7nTY7v3s7_M/s1600-h/Shoring+%287%29.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 294px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_68e5zR7AvVc/Sl39HqujEDI/AAAAAAAACLM/7nTY7v3s7_M/s400/Shoring+%287%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358717439811194930" border="0" /></a><br /><div> </div><br /><div>After you've seen that the board will fit the space you've shaved out of the earth-wall, you must get it equally situated behind the lip of each I-beam... not so hard when you've got two-three boards out and you are doing the bottom board, but if you are trying to slide a single board over in a single space (like w/ the second board pictured) it can sometimes involve a long trial messing with crowbars. I have no solution, except putting in the lag screws early and trying to use them to slide the board. This does not often work.<br /><br />If gaps are left, they are reduced by placing thin pieces of wood at the bottom of boards.<br /><br />The boards are locked in between (and behind the lip of) I-beams which run about 40 ft under ground. As much of the board as possible is slid behind the inside of the I-beam before 5/16" holes are drilled beside the lip of the I-beam for 9/16" x 3 3/4" lag screws. The lag screws go through, what I'm gonna call, giant square washers which tighten the board flush to the I-beam. A thin, small piece of plywood is often needed between the shoring board and the giant square washer.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_68e5zR7AvVc/Sl39nRR0guI/AAAAAAAACLU/MK2zUXejvxI/s1600-h/Shoring+%288%29.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 378px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_68e5zR7AvVc/Sl39nRR0guI/AAAAAAAACLU/MK2zUXejvxI/s400/Shoring+%288%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358717982735631074" border="0" /></a><br />There you have it; Shoring 101. The final exam is getting a board replaced and not injuring yourself in the process.<br /><br />So the Lone Male Excavator is off to grad school. This is my last day as an excavator at the Page Museum at Rancho La Brea, but I will still be around in spirit. (In fact don't be too surprised to see posts in the future by The Ghost of the Lone Male Excavator.)<br /><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6328641822461120503.post-9467380252356034592009-07-08T13:50:00.000-07:002009-07-08T14:24:47.238-07:00a small but big discoveryHello! We found a very neat thing a few weeks ago:<br /><p align="center"><a title="Associated bird skeleton in situ at the La Brea Tar Pits by the excavatrix, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/3677204116/"><img height="600" alt="Associated bird skeleton in situ at the La Brea Tar Pits" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2558/3677204116_4d2f692d05_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></p><br />It's a bird! It's a plane! It's-- wait, nope, it's a bird. The many small bones in the upper left-hand corner (with the big arrow pointing at them labeled "bird") are <em>all</em> from a small passerine, (or "perching bird"). These bones likely represent an associated individual; they were found in a slightly separate layer of asphaltic sand than the rest of the deposit, and some bones even appear to be somewhat articulated. In other words: this is the almost complete skeleton of a small bird; this is extremely rare; I have named him <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Up_(2009_film)#Cast_and_characters">Kevin</a>.<br /><br />Though most birds are passerines, they are nevertheless rare at Rancho La Brea; our collections are dominated by bigger birds of prey like teratorns and condors. It's hard to say what species Kevin is, exactly -- especially without cleaning and preparing the bones first -- but Lab Supervisor Shelley says he's about the size of a scrubjay.<br /><br /><p align="center"><a title="Kevin the associated bird from Project 23 at the La Brea Tar Pits by the excavatrix, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/3676388941/"><img id="'height=" alt="Kevin the associated bird from Project 23 at the La Brea Tar Pits" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3601/3676388941_32f95c9564_o.jpg" width="450" /></a><br /></p><br />The bones in the numbered in this photo are as follows:<br /><br /><ol><li>carpometacarpus</li><li>scapula</li><li>2 limb bones -- not sure which exactly</li><li>sternum</li><li>tibiotarsus? I think?</li><li>tarsometatarsus</li><li>femur?</li></ol>The photo above was taken after removing a number of other bones separately, such as ...<br /><br /><br /><p align="center"><a title="furculum of small bird (kevin) by the excavatrix, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/3676388873/"><img alt="furculum of small bird (kevin)" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3568/3676388873_82ea4b01b7_o.jpg" width="600" /></a><br />the furculum...<br /></p><p align="center"><a title="scapula of small bird (kevin) by the excavatrix, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/3676388817/"><img height="400" alt="scapula of small bird (kevin)" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3648/3676388817_59fa0303c9_o.jpg" width="600" /></a><br />another scapula... </p><p align="center"><a title="A passerine humerus, with finger for scale by the excavatrix, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/3676388991/"><img alt="A passerine humerus, with finger for scale" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2439/3676388991_a5ca3a19d2_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></p><p align="left">...and a humerus (as well as an articulated synsacrum and femur, several vertebrae, and several phalanges that I don't currently have photos for). After removing these uppermost bones and discovering there were even more underneath we decided to remove the rest of the skeleton in one block... </p><p align="center"><a title="Associated bird skeleton about to be removed by the excavatrix, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/3676388761/"><img height="600" alt="Associated bird skeleton about to be removed" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2513/3676388761_7fcb0d67e8_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></p>which was accomplished by gently prying the layer of asphaltic sand it was rested in with well-placed screwdrivers and chisels.<br /><br />Though this skeleton is exciting in and of itself, its context may actually be more important. As regular blog readers may remember, up until now Deposit 1 has been more dirt than fossils. There's a dense cluster of bones in the southeast corner that has yielded at least 1000 specimens (and at least that many more to come), but about 3/4ths of the box has been largely sterile. Not anymore. As we dig deeper into the so-called "sterile" areas, we've found a new layer of fossils:<br /><p align="center"><a title="where kevin was found. by the excavatrix, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/excavatrix/3677203902/"><img height="400" alt="where kevin was found." src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2653/3677203902_f1fd1b0a56_o.jpg" width="600" /></a></p>This is a different style of deposition than in the "main" bone cluster we've previously worked on:<br /><ol><li>These fossils are spaced further apart, and spread out more evenly -- not all jumbled together like pick-up-sticks. </li><li>These bones are broken, weathered, and worn. The bones in the other cluster are largely complete</li><li>Many of the longer bones and bone fragments point in the same direction (scroll back up to the top of the page to get a closer look) -- perhaps implying stream movement? We don't know! But it's interesting...</li></ol>Kevin was found in the northwest corner of this grid (near where the meter sticks cross) in a slightly separate layer of asphaltic sand -- perhaps implying that he flew in and got stuck after the rest of these unlucky beasts? Again -- we don't know! But also interesting! We will keep you posted as things and finds progress.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2