A few BPS members drove over to Tuscaloosa, AL to hear a lecture on fossil whales. We arrived early, and decided to "fossil hunt" at the Geological Survey of Alabama building. The steps and bannisters are of limestone, and are nicely weathered out to show beautiful fossils.
The speaker was Dr. Philip Gingerich, Professor of Geological Sciences, and Director of the Museum of Paleontology at the University of Michigan. His lecture was titled "Fossils and the Origin of Whales". The lecture was very educational and entertaining, with numerous slides of Dr. Gingerich's field trips to Egypt, Afganistan, and other locations over the years. His most recent research on fossil whales was discussed in the lecture. After the lecture, we had the opportunity to talk to Dr. Gingerich and the other paleontologists/ geologists in attendance.
There is an article on Dr. Gingerich's whale research in EARTH magazine titled "How amphibious whales returned to the sea".
Click the thumbnail to see the full size photo. They are large so it may take a while to download each one.
(Photos courtesy Vicki Lais, with special thanks to George Phillips for his assistance!)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
