Category Archives: Paleontology

The Least-Visited National Parks in America’s Lower 48 (and why you should visit them) Part 2

Posted on February 3, 2015 by Jeremy Sell

Last week I presented “The Least-Visited National Parks in America’s Lower 48 (and why you should visit them).” I later realized that most people focus on the “most” or “least” of something, and that often leaves out the “next most” … Continue reading →

Posted in Botany, Culture, Ecology, Environment, General, Geology, Invertebrate Zoology, National Parks, Paleontology, Vertebrate Zoology | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Badlands National Park

Posted on September 20, 2014 by Jeremy Sell

Located in southwest South Dakota is the beautiful and fascinating terrain of Badlands National Park. This park encompasses 381 square miles (987 square km) of colorful, jagged hills that decorate one of the largest remaining mixed-grass prairies in the United States. Situated … Continue reading →

Posted in Botany, Ecology, Geology, National Parks, Paleontology, Vertebrate Zoology | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Guadalupe Mountains National Park

Posted on March 12, 2014 by Jeremy Sell

The arid plains of west Texas may be the last place that would evoke images of a marine environment, yet two hours east of El Paso you can find just that. Guadalupe Mountains National Park preserves one of the best … Continue reading →

Posted in Botany, Culture, Ecology, Geology, Invertebrate Zoology, National Parks, Paleoecology, Paleontology, Vertebrate Zoology | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Dinosaur National Monument

Posted on August 20, 2013 by Jeremy Sell

Along the border of Colorado and Utah is a natural wonderland spanning over 300 square miles. Here the Green and Yampa Rivers cut through the arid eastern edge of the Uinta Mountains, exposing hundreds of millions of years of geologic … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, National Parks, Paleontology, Vertebrate Zoology | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Grand Canyon National Park

Posted on March 6, 2013 by Jeremy Sell

“Let this great wonder of nature remain as it now is. You cannot improve on it. But what you can do is keep it for your children, your children’s children, and all who come after you, as the one great … Continue reading →

Posted in Geology, National Parks, Paleoecology, Paleontology | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

The Painted Desert

Posted on February 18, 2013 by Jeremy Sell

Rich with color, the Painted Desert covers a wide arc across northeast Arizona. Beginning to the east of the Grand Canyon, this beautiful landscape stretches almost to New Mexico. My favorite views of this region are found in and around … Continue reading →

Posted in Botany, Geology, National Parks, Paleoecology, Paleontology, Vertebrate Zoology | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Indiana’s Knobstone Trail

Posted on January 24, 2013 by Jeremy Sell

At 58 miles in length, the Knobstone Trail is Indiana’s longest and most rugged hiking trail. I covered a few of those miles last weekend while my wife and I were in the area visiting her family. Following the edge of … Continue reading →

Posted in Botany, Entomology, Fungi, Geology, Invertebrate Zoology, Paleoecology, Paleontology | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Fossil preservation caught in the act?

Posted on September 14, 2010 by Jeremy Sell

While walking along the River Raisin near Blissfield, Michigan, I came across this sun-baked stretch of riverbank.  This particular location floods often, and it’s usually wet and muddy here.  In the late summer it can completely dry out, leaving the … Continue reading →

Posted in Ecology, Geology, Paleoecology, Paleontology | Tagged | Leave a comment

Textbook Cross-Bedding

Posted on August 30, 2010 by Jeremy Sell

One stop on my final undergraduate geology trip this March included a day at Zion National Park, located in southwestern Utah.  As I mentioned with Death Valley, there is a lot of stuff to talk about here and more will … Continue reading →

Posted in Geology, National Parks, Paleoecology, Paleontology | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

When wood is not wood

Posted on August 5, 2010 by Jeremy Sell

At first glance, the preserved trees (largely Araucarioxylon arizonicum, Araucariaceae) at Petrified Forest National Park look like any other logs.  They have finely detailed bark, knots, wood grain, and even growth rings: Closer examination reveals that the logs aren’t wood, … Continue reading →

Posted in Botany, Geology, National Parks, Paleoecology, Paleontology | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Lessons From the Field #1: Snakes like warm rocks

Posted on July 26, 2010 by Jeremy Sell

Last summer my wife and I went down to southern Ohio for a few days to, among other things, poke around for fossils.  Southern Ohio has a large number of exposures of fossil-bearing sedimentary rocks spanning almost 200 million years … Continue reading →

Posted in Geology, Lessons From the Field, Paleoecology, Paleontology, Vertebrate Zoology | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment