020821b

 

300+ million-year-old rainprints in what was once mud on a tidal flat. Specimen collected by Prescott Atkinson. Associated rocks bear the best trace-fossil assemblage of its age in the world, discovered and preserved for posterity by the Alabama Paleontological Society.

http://kudzu.astr.ua.edu/cgi-bin/scm.pl  

APS (https://www.alabamapaleosoc.org/links ) book about the site: http://kudzu.astr.ua.edu/monograph/monofiles/monofiles.html -- free download

A newer book about the site: https://www.amazon.com/Footprints-Stone-Fossil-Coal-Age-Tetrapods/dp/0817358447/ref=mt_paperback?_encoding=UTF8&me=

081719d

So the Alabama Science Teachers Association is meeting here in Tuscaloosa this year. Stop me if I have already told you about this. I decided to do a workshop about fossil footprints. Specifically, about trackways. Years ago I found this really cute activity where you step in paint, walk on paper, and then measure things, calculate other things, and, hopefully, realize that you can learn a lot from fossil footprints. I actually presented this to the same group years ago, but there is so much turnover among teachers (because they are treated like crap) that for most of them this would be a new experience. I recently discovered that the ASTA doesn't accept every single workshop proposal that is submitted, although I still think it's pretty close. But if they don't accept this one, it will be because the owner of the facility doesn't want people walking in paint on their floors. I have a plan for that, but I think if they say no they're going to say no before they hear about my plan. I guess I need to email the workshop organizer and make my pitch before it is too late! It involves using a large tarp and trusting teachers to be tidy. I can do that, can't I? Stay tuned.

060919c

they parked inside

one of the footprints

was that thunder?

032219b

inside the rock
trails of ancient footprints
paths cross

020719

dog footprints
in Roman tiles
cat footprints
in my new cement