Today the Field School students spent the day in the field looking for fossils in three different sites: Lothodok, the edge of the Kalodir deposits and Maurorot. All these sites are north of TBI and represent different slices of time that have been preserved in the fossil record.
Prof Boyer explains the importance of the Lothodok site
As before, students learned that patience and looking carefully are key to finding fossils
Students start searching for fossils
Kathleen searches for fossils
Hard work in the sun!
One of the first finds was the tusk of a an ancient elephant species:
Francis, Zack, Vaishanavi and Kathleen document the ancient tusk
I climbed a small hill to get a view of the landscape and fossil hunt. Even though this may seem like a bleak place, it is rich in fossils and has contributed a lot to our understanding of evolution and the early fauna of this part of the world.
A view of the fossil hunt from above
From Lohtodok we travelled on to the edge of the Kalodir deposits where we searched for fossils near the road. Here is part of an ancient turtle’s shell that has been preserved:
Cleaning the ancient turtle shell
The final stop on this long day in the field was Maurorot, where more recent fossils can be found.
Fossil Snail shell in bank
We rested here for a bit, and took in the view before heading back to TBI:
Catherine enjoys the view at Maurorot
More from the TBI Field School soon!
