Palaeontology, the scientific study of fossils, has developed from a descriptive science to an analytical science used to interpret relationships between earth and life history. This book provides a comprehensive and thematic treatment of applied palaeontology, covering the use of fossils in the ordering of rocks in time and in space, in biostratigraphy, palaeobiology and sequence stratigraphy. Robert Wynn Jones presents a practical workflow for applied palaeontology, including sample acquisition, preparation and analysis, and interpretation and integration. He then presents numerous case studies that demonstrate the applicability and value of the subject to areas such as petroleum, mineral and coal exploration and exploitation, engineering geology and environmental science. Specialist applications outside of the geosciences (including archaeology, forensic science, medical palynology, entomopalynology and melissopalynology) are also addressed. Abundantly illustrated and referenced, Applications of Palaeontology provides a user-friendly reference for academic researchers and professionals across a range of disciplines and industry settings.

Over the last few decades our understanding of what Australia was like during the Mesozoic Era has changed radically. A rush of new fossil discoveries, together with cutting-edge analytical techniques, has created a much more detailed picture of ancient life and environments from the great southern continent. Giant dinosaurs, bizarre sea monsters and some of the earliest ancestors of Australia's unique modern animals and plants all occur in rocks of Mesozoic age. Ancient geographical positioning of Australia close to the southern polar circle and mounting geological evidence for near freezing temperatures also make it one of the most unusual and globally significant sources of fossils from the age of dinosaurs. This book provides the first comprehensive overview of current research on Australian Mesozoic faunas and floras, with a balanced coverage of the many technical papers, conference abstracts and unpublished material housed in current collections. It is a primary reference for researchers in the fields of palaeontology, geology and biology, senior undergraduate and postgraduate students, secondary level teachers, as well as fossil collectors and anyone interested in natural history. Dinosaurs in Australia is fully illustrated in colour with original artworks and 12 reconstructions of key animals. It has a foreword by Tim Flannery and is the ideal book for anybody seeking to know more about Australia's amazing age of dinosaurs.

This collection of papers is dedicated to Dr Ina Plug to celebrate her tremendous contributions to archaeozoology (or zooarchaeology) in a career that has so far spanned more than three decades. Contents: Preface; Ina Plug: A Tribute (Shaw Badenhorst); Zooarchaeology in Southern Africa: A View from the North (Terry O'Connor); Archaeozoology at the Transvaal Museum and Its Future in South Africa (Karin Scott); Models for Zooarchaeologists from Modern Bushmeat Studies (Jonathan C. Driver); The Contribution of Sibudu Fauna to an Understanding of KwaZulu-Natal Environments at 60 ka, 50 ka and 37 ka (Lyn Wadley, Ina Plug, and Jamie L. Clark); Variability and Change in Middle Stone Age Hunting Behaviour: Aspects from the Lithic and Faunal Records (Marlize Lombard and Jamie L. Clark); Archaeobiodiversity of Ichthyofaunas from the Holocene Sahel (Nadja Pollath, Joris Peters, and Helene Jousse); Shrews from Ein el Gazzareen, Dakhleh Oasis, Western Desert, Egypt (C.S. Churcher); Human and Animal Interaction on the Shire Highlands, Malawi: The Evidence from Malowa Rockshelter (Yusuf M. Juwayeyi); Early Herders in Southern Africa: A Synthesis (Andrew B. Smith); The Canine Connection: Dogs and Southern African Hunter-gatherers (Peter Mitchell); Fishing in the Senegal River during the Iron Age: The Evidence from the Habitation Mounds of Cubalel and Sioure (Wim Van Neer); Early Iron Age Regional Settlement and Demographic Patterns along the Eastern Seaboard of South Africa: A View from the Lower Thukela River Valley (Haskel J. Greenfield and Leonard O. van Schalkwyk); A Consideration of Livestock Exploitation during the Early Iron Age in the Thukela Valley, KwaZulu-Natal (Elizabeth R. Arnold); Social Memory and the Antiquity of Snake and Crocodile Symbolism in Southern Africa (Kent D. Fowler); Symbolic Animal Burials from the Venda Region in the Limpopo Province, South Africa (Louisa Hutten); Zhizo and Leopard's Kopje: Test Excavations at Simamwe and Mtanye, Zimbabwe (T.N. Huffman); Subsistence Change among Farming Communities in Southern Africa during the Last Two Millennia: A Search for Potential Causes (Shaw Badenhorst).

Shawnee legend tells of a herd of huge bison rampaging through the Ohio Valley, laying waste to all in their path. To protect the tribe, a deity slew these great beasts with lightning bolts, finally chasing the last giant buffalo into exile across the Wabash River, never to trouble the Shawnee again. The source of this legend was a peculiar salt lick in present-day northern Kentucky, where giant fossilized skeletons had for centuries lain undisturbed by the Shawnee and other natives of the region. In 1739, the first Europeans encountered this fossil site, which eventually came to be known as Big Bone Lick. The site drew the attention of all who heard of it, including George Washington, Daniel Boone, Benjamin Franklin, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, and especially Thomas Jefferson. The giant bones immediately cast many scientific and philosophical assumptions of the day into doubt, and they eventually gave rise to the study of fossils for biological and historical purposes. Big Bone Lick: The Cradle of American Paleontology recounts the rich history of the fossil site that gave the world the first evidence of the extinction of several mammalian species, including the American mastodon. Big Bone Lick has played many roles: nutrient source, hallowed ground, salt mine, health spa, and a rich trove of archaeological and paleontological wonders. Natural historian Stanley Hedeen presents a comprehensive narrative of Big Bone Lick from its geological formation forward, explaining why the site attracted animals, regional tribespeople, European explorers and scientists, and eventually American pioneers and presidents. Big Bone Lick is the history of both a place and a scientific discipline: it explores the infancy and adolescence of paleontology from its humble and sometimes humorous beginnings. Hedeen combines elements of history, geology, politics, and biology to make Big Bone Lick a valuable historical resource as well as the compelling tale of how a collection of fossilized bones captivated a young nation.

"Speak to the Earth and It Will Teach You" is a book that tells the story of Earl Douglass, a paleontologist who made a remarkable discovery of Jurassic dinosaur bones one hundred years ago. Written by his only son, Gawin, the book includes many, never-before published, excerpts from the diaries which Earl kept for forty-seven years of his life, beginning in 1884. It tells of the pleasures and sorrows, financial problems and successes of one man's life, dedicated to science and a search for truth. On a field expedition for the Carnegie Museum during the summer of 1909 Douglass made his famous discovery near Jensen, Utah, an area which was later set aside as Dinosaur National Monument. This discovery late in August, kept him working in Utah, living in tents with his wife and 18-month old son throughout one of the coldest winters on record for that area. The book also contains many photographs taken by Douglass during this period showing excavation and shipment of the bones.

Maniraptora includes the first known bird, Archaeopteryx, the small, four-winged, feathered glider, Microraptor, and the terrestrial runner Bambiraptor. All are considered important links in the origin of flight and a subsequent transition to terrestriality. In cladistic classifications, dromaeosaurid "dinosaurs" were only considered terrestrial cursors. The discovery of a gliding stage within the dromaeosaurs confounds the currently suggested evolutionary framework and lacks predictability for origin of flight scenarios. Paleoclimate was a significant factor for evolution of dinosaur-like birds and birdlike dinosaurs during the Mesozoic. This time is characterized by faunal and floral changes reflecting the cooling trend at end of the Cretaceous. The environment opened up making it difficult for poor fliers and gliders as forested areas became less dense. Secondarily flightless terrestrial forms and birds with full flight capabilities survived best in these new environments. Eventually, birds of modern aspect probably replaced the primitive maniraptorans since they were more efficient fliers and had evolved higher metabolic rates suitable for the cooler climate.

Lilian Brown shares her early adventures with husband Barnum Brown (curator, American Museum of Natural History) on his paleontological expeditions to India and Burma. The focus here is not on Barnum's scientific discoveries, but on the curious cultures and people they encountered as they camped and traveled. From pets to parties, her descriptions of life on a long expedition (often waiting for Barnum to return from his lone wolf forays for fossil beds) shows a very different side than you'll find in an academic journal.

'The who, what, where, when and how of human evolution, from one of the world's experts on the dating of prehistoric fossils' Steve Brusatte, author of The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs 'Fascinating and entertaining. If you read one book on human origins, this should be it' Ian Morris, author of Why the West Rules - For Now 50,000 years ago, we were not the only species of human in the world. There were at least four others, including the Neanderthals, Homo floresiensis, Homo luzonesis and the Denisovans. At the forefront of the latter's ground-breaking discovery was Oxford Professor Tom Higham. In The World Before Us, he explains the scientific and technological advancements - in radiocarbon dating and ancient DNA, for example - that allowed each of these discoveries to be made, enabling us to be more accurate in our predictions about not just how long ago these other humans lived, but how they lived, interacted and live on in our genes today. This is the story of us, told for the first time with its full cast of characters. 'Exciting' David Abulafia, author of The Boundless Sea 'Remarkable' Rebecca Wragg Sykes, author of Kindred 'Thrilling' David Reich, author of Who We Are and How We Got Here 'Brilliant' Chris Gosden, author of The History of Magic 'Gripping and fun' Paul Collier, author of The Bottom Billion 'Essential' Barry Cunliffe, author of The Scythians 'Profoundly entertaining' Brian Fagan, author of World Prehistory

When dinosaurs were first unearthed in the 19th century, they were reconstructed as lethargic beasts, a stigma associated with ectothermy. This perception prevailed for 150 years. Then John Ostrom rocked the foundations of dinosaur paleontology in the late 1960s. He uncovered evidence that dinosaurs lived dynamic lives, a trait associated with "endothermy" (i.e., warm-bloodedness). Significant scientific advancements were made by ensuing generations of paleontologists following in Ostrom's footsteps. But now there is reason to suspect that dinosaurs were incredible frauds. Dinosaurs Incognito proposes that dinosaurs were ectotherms and exposes how these clever beasts managed to pull off their endothermic charade by presenting them in intriguing ways that both challenges conventional doctrine and encourages alternate thought. The reader is also introduced to a special axiom regarding morphology, provocative new ideas concerning the nitty-gritty of dinosaur life, and some entertaining anecdotes for good measure which are sure to make Dinosaurs Incognito a memorable experience for the general reader and scientist alike.

This is an easy to read guide for beginners on how to find real treasure. Learn how to find fossils, rocks, artifacts around the U.S. Great fun for kids, teens and the whole family. This book also includes metal detecting information, a treasure log sheet and links for complete state by state listings of fossil and rock sites.

It's hard to imagine the study of human origins without the Leakey family. Three generations of Leakeys have scratched in the baked, unfriendly soil of East Africa to unearth fossil evidence of the earliest humans and their ancient ancestors. In the process they have practically defined the field of paleoanthropology, while eliciting admiration as well as controversies and criticism. In this engrossing biography, prolific writer and educator Mary Bowman-Kruhm tells the story of three generations of Leakeys. Beginning with patriarch Louis Leakey, a native of Kenya, she describes how he turned his boyhood love of exploring the Kenyan countryside into a scientific profession that eventually garnered international recognition. As the author shows, Leakey struggled in the early years, often barely able to make a living. The end of World War II, a trip to Rusinga Island in Lake Victoria, and an injection of money from a benefactor led to the discovery of Proconsul africanus, an 18-million-year-old skull that was a precursor to both later evolving apes and humans. Then Leakey and his wife, Mary, discovered fragments of what came to be known as Paranthropus boisei, which lived about 1.75 million years ago. These findings brought the Leakeys great attention and important funding from the National Geographic Society.
Bowman-Kruhm intersperses her discussion of the Leakeys' important scientific contributions with interesting asides about their personal life: from the trying 1950s when the Mau Mau revolt in Kenya threatened all of their lives; through Louis's interest in young proteges, including Jane Goodall and Diane Fossey; to the rocky relationship between the Leakeys and Donald Johanson, the discoverer of "Lucy."
By the time of Louis's death in 1972, Mary and their son Richard were making dramatic finds on their own. When Richard discovered a rich cache of fossils in northern Kenya, he soon attained a level of acclaim to rival his father and mother's. Eventually, he turned his attention to fighting for the cause of wildlife conservation, a passion that he continues to the present. Today, the paleontology work of the Leakey family continues, carried on mainly by Meave, Richard's wife, and their daughter, Louise, at Koobi Fora in northern Kenya. They regularly report the results of their research at the Koobi Fora Research Project Web site (www.kfrp.com).

Initially conceived as an attempt to disprove the idea that cowrie shells served as currency during the period of the Hungarian invasion in the Carpathian basin (10th century AD), this study has grown into somehting much larger. It collects data for the presence of cowrie shells as grave goods over a far wider spatial and chronological range as part of a comparative anthropological study to determine their various functions, in particular as fertility amulets, as well as tracing their spread from the Eurasian Steppe to western Europe during the migration period.

Papers from the Second ICAZ Animal Palaeopathology Working Group Conference held at Nitra, Slovakia in September 2005. 1) Introduction: current research in animal palaeopathology (R. Thomas & Z. Miklikova); 2) Environmental stress in early domestic sheep (L. Bartosiewicz); 3) A developmental anomaly of prehistoric roe deer dentition from Svodin, Slovakia (M. Fabis, R. Thomas, V. Paral & D. Vondrak); 4) A possible case of tuberculosis or brucellosis in an Iron Age horse skeleton from Viables Farm, Basingstoke, England (R. Bendrey); 5) Animal palaeopathology at two Roman sites in central Britain (S. Vann); 6) Understanding past human-animal relationships through the analysis of fractures: a case study from a Roman site in The Netherlands (M. Groot); 7) Pathology in horses from a Roman cemetery (K. Lyublyanovics); 8) Animal diseases at a Celtic-Roman village in Hungary (M. Daroczi-Szabo); 9) Skeletal alterations of animal remains from the early medieval settlement of Bajc, southwest Slovakia (Z. Miklikova); 10) Animal diseases from medieval Buda (P. Csippan & L. Daroczi-Szabo); 11) Broken-winged: fossil and sub-fossil pathological bird bones from recent excavations (E. Gal); 12) Osteoporosis in animal palaeopathology (M. Martiniakova, R. Omelka, M. Vondrakova, M. Bauerova, P. Massanyi & M. Fabis); 13) Cranial perforations in Armenian cattle (N. Manaseryan).

The Cambrian Period (542 to 488 Ma) marks the beginning of an abundant fossil record, and the Burgess Shale Biota was the first fully described fossil assemblage that contains a relatively complete picture of a benthic Cambrian community. More Burgess Shale-type (BST) fossil assemblages have been discovered since then and are ready to be utilized to test hypotheses about the ecology of the Cambrian explosion, which is the most important event in the evolution of metazoans. This book focuses on the Kaili Biota (http: //hdl.handle.net/1811/24227), an important deposit bridging the stratigraphic gap between Chengjiang Biota and Burgess Shale Biota. It allows us to gain a more complete understanding of the Cambrian life through the window of BST deposits. The book is divided into four parts. Part 1 includes stratigraphic background of Kaili Formation. Part 2 contains discussions on taphonomy. Part 3 provides new observation for Cambrian paleoecology, including animal-substrate relations, spawning habits, teiring community, and faunal succession. Part 4 presents hypotheses on arthropod, echinoderm evolution, and the evolution of biosphere.

A photographic guide to Oklahoma's Devonian trilobites. The geological history of Coal County, Oklahoma. Descriptions of rock formations where trilobites are found. Excavation and restoration of trilobites. A photographic atlas of the Lower Devonian trilobites of Oklahoma, with helpful information to aid in their identification.

Trilobites are a well-known fossil group, possibly second most famous only to dinosaurs. With their easily fossilized exoskeleton, they left an extensive and diverse fossil record. They began a drawn-out decline to extinction during Late Devonian time, when all but one of the trilobite orders died out.

This meticulously researched reference guide is a photographic atlas and descriptive compendium on the trilobites of Coal County, Oklahoma. The species described lived during the Lower Devonian in a shallow tropical ocean that had advanced over the landscape of North America. More than twenty species are exquisitely preserved in Oklahoma's limestone rocks.

Each species is carefully illustrated, including thorough descriptions, so that those familiar and unfamiliar can understand and appreciate these amazing creatures. The most current scientific research on these trilobites is also included. For those wishing to pursue a deeper interest in trilobites, a comprehensive bibliography lists hundreds of sources of information for further study.

This work sets out to examine four taxa of birds from the Quaternary of Europe that exhibit interesting morphological anomalies cranes (Grus), grouse/ptarmigans (Lagopus), ravens (Corvus corax) and starlings (Sturnus) to address whether these were the result of inter- or intraspecific processes. Modern skeletal material of these taxa from a wide geographical area was examined so as to make a more realistic assessment of the fossils than had previously been achieved. Similarly, fossils were studied from a wider geographical and temporal range than before. The study of the four chosen taxa was carried out with an acknowledgement of a variety of theoretical issues in biology, which affect the interpretation of such fossils.

Shawnee legend tells of a herd of huge bison rampaging through the Ohio Valley, laying waste to all in their path. To protect the tribe, a deity slew these great beasts with lightning bolts, finally chasing the last giant buffalo into exile across the Wabash River, never to trouble the Shawnee again. The source of this legend was a peculiar salt lick in present-day northern Kentucky, where giant fossilized skeletons had for centuries lain undisturbed by the Shawnee and other natives of the region. In 1739, the first Europeans encountered this fossil site, which eventually came to be known as Big Bone Lick. The site drew the attention of all who heard of it, including George Washington, Daniel Boone, Benjamin Franklin, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, and especially Thomas Jefferson. The giant bones immediately cast many scientific and philosophical assumptions of the day into doubt, and they eventually gave rise to the study of fossils for biological and historical purposes. Big Bone Lick: The Cradle of American Paleontology recounts the rich history of the fossil site that gave the world the first evidence of the extinction of several mammalian species, including the American mastodon. Big Bone Lick has played many roles: nutrient source, hallowed ground, salt mine, health spa, and a rich trove of archaeological and paleontological wonders. Natural historian Stanley Hedeen presents a comprehensive narrative of Big Bone Lick from its geological formation forward, explaining why the site attracted animals, regional tribespeople, European explorers and scientists, and eventually American pioneers and presidents. Big Bone Lick is the history of both a place and a scientific discipline: it explores the infancy and adolescence of paleontology from its humble and sometimes humorous beginnings. Hedeen combines elements of history, geology, politics, and biology to make Big Bone Lick a valuable historical resource as well as the compelling tale of how a collection of fossilized bones captivated a young nation.

"The focus is the most severe mass extinction known in earth's history....The science on which the book is based is up-to-date, thorough, and balanced. Highly recommended."--"Choice"
Today it is common knowledge that the dinosaurs were wiped out by a meteorite impact 65 million years ago that killed half of all species then living. Far less known is a much greater catastrophe that took place at the end of the Permian period 251 million years ago: ninety percent of life was destroyed, including saber-toothed reptiles and their rhinoceros-sized prey on land, as well as vast numbers of fish and other species in the sea.
This book documents not only what happened during this gigantic mass extinction but also the recent rekindling of the idea of catastrophism. Was the end-Permian event caused by the impact of a huge meteorite or comet, or by prolonged volcanic eruption in Siberia? The evidence has been accumulating through the 1990s and into the new millennium, and Michael Benton gives his verdict at the end of the volume.
From field camps in Greenland and Russia to the laboratory bench, "When Life Nearly Died" involves geologists, paleontologists, environmental modelers, geochemists, astronomers, and experts on biodiversity and conservation. Their working methods are vividly described and explained, and the current disputes are revealed. The implications of our understanding of crises in the past for the current biodiversity crisis are also presented in detail. 46 illustrations.

Understanding Paleolithic animal exploitation requires a multifaceted approach. Inferences may derive from research on paleoenvironments and taphonomy, the development of new methods for interpreting seasonality patterns, and ethnoarchaeological observations. A full understanding of Paleolithic economies also requires a multiregional perspective. This volume brings together a group of scholars with research interests from across the globe to understand the nature of animal exploitation practices through the lens of taphonomy. The chapters include case studies on the types of animals that Paleolithic peoples hunted and gathered through time and space, and taphonomic analyses of non-human animal bone assemblages.

AN INTRODUCTION TO PALEOBOTANY By CHESTER A. ARNOLD. PREFACE The preparation of this book was motivated by a longfelt need for a concise yet fairly comprehensive textbook of paleobotahy for use in American colleges and universities. Although se jftrate courses in paleobotany are not offered in many institutionsfifr ssil plants are fre quently treated in regular courses in botany and aleontology. In these courses both student and instructor are often compelled to resort to widely scattered publications, which are not always conveniently avail able. Lack of ready access to sources of information has retarded instruction in paleobotany and has lessened the number of students specializing in this field. Another effect no less serious hag bteen the frequent lack of appreciation by botanists and paleontologists yf the importance of fossil plants in biological and geological science. The two works of reference principally used by British and American students of paleobotany within recent decades have been Sewards Fossil Plants and Scotts Studies in Fossil Botany the former con sisting of four volumes, published - at intervals between 1898 and 191 7, and the latter of two volumes, the last edition of which appeared in 1920 and 1923. Both are now put of print, and although they will continue to occupy a prominent place among the great works in paleobotany, they are already in many respects obsolete. Since the publication of the last edition of Scotts Studies, many new and important discoveries have been made, which have not only added greatly to our knowledge of fossil plants but which have altered our interpretations of some of them. Many of the newer contributions have resulted from techniquesscarcely known to the writers of the first quarter of the present century. Thfese new techniques have also brought about certain shifts of emphasis, which are evident when one compares certain portions of this book with the writings of 30 years ago. The arrangement and scope of the subject matter is in part the result of 17 years of experience in teaching a small course in paleobotany open to advanced undergraduate and graduate students, most of whom were majors or minors in botany or biology. The approach to the subject is therefore essentially botanical. Paleobotany as a subdivision of paleon tology can be treated either biologically or geologically, but the two approaches are so different that to tiy to combine them would result only in confusion and lack of clarity. The present arrangement, therefore, is vii viii PREFACE followed partly because of the necessity of making a choice, but mostly because of the authors conviction that it is best for instructional purposes. The author is not unaware of the preoccupation with paleo botany of many geologists who might with good reason prefer a presenta tion following the geologic time scale. Their requirements are met to some extent by the inclusion of the chapter on The Sequence of the Plant World in Geologic Time, in which an effort is made to summarize the floras of the eras and periods. Then, in dealing with some of the plant groups, the most ancient members are described first, thereby giving some idea of the major steps in development from their first appearance down to the present. In making selections of subject matter an author can hardly avoid being partial to his particular interests to the neglect of other material. In spite ofan effort to avoid bias, the ready admission is made that this book is not free from it...

Call them "mudpuppies," "hellbenders," or "mud eels," salamanders are puzzling animals to most people. They come in forms that look like flattened fish with legs, like eels, like slimy lizards, or like lizards with toad-like skins. Their life history imitates the ancient evolutionary transition from aquatic to terrestrial vertebrates, though several groups remain permanently aquatic. Until now, no one has written about their ancient ancestors. Holman details the process of the identification and interpretation of the fossils. He presents a detailed systematic account of the known fossil salamanders of North America, illustrates and discusses the extinct salamanders, re-diagnosing or redescribing some on the basis of additional information and fossil material. He also gives the modern characteristics, ecological attributes, and modern ranges of the fossil taxa that are still living. The book begins with an overview of the Caudata and describes their early evolution. Then follow the systematic and chronological accounts of the salamanders. The book concludes with a discussion of the study of fossil salamanders as it relates to the development of a realistic phylogeny and classification of the group.

Alice Gerard has crossed the Atlantic a dozen times in the last ten years in her efforts to help solve the mystery of the controversial French site of Glozel, which has been called the "Dreyfus Affair" of archaeology. Accusations of fraud made by members of the archaeological establishment have contributed to the stormy history of the site during the last 80 years."Glozel" describes the exhaustive attempts Alice and her husband have made, working with other researchers, to understand the tombs, the tablets covered with unknown writing, the bones engraved with reindeer, and the phallic idols found at the site. In the process the Gerards made and lost good friends, became informed about a number of esoteric subjects, and finally developed a theory that might explain Glozel. The story is not finished; they hope the site will be recognized as authentic while Emile Fradin, who discovered the first artifacts in 1924, is still alive.