Lecture 5: paleontology Flashcards
paleontology
the branch science that deals with the discovery, collection, and preservation of fossils
Deinonychus
terrible claw
- discovery of this dinosaur made scientists rethink the idea of dinosaurs as big reptiles and evolutionary losers
- small and has stiffened tail
- has tendons that get preserved running through tail so it can’t drag it around like a lizard
- very big toe claw
- The dinosaur renaissance → they were pack hunters and had a large brain to body ratio
erosion
the weathering of rock by wind and water
- helps reveal the order rock layers (strata) were deposited
sedimentation
the laying down of dirt and mud, eventually turning into layers of rock
geologic map
ranges of complex patterns of sedimentation and erosion mean rocks from different geologic ages are exposed in different parts of the world that are plotted
- sedimentation along coastline
- erosion by mountains
- maps help survey the different texture/kind of rocks
igneous rock
formed through the cooling and solidification of magma and lava
- magma works its way up the cracks in the earth
metamorphic rock
formed by the transformation of other rocks through extensive heat and pressure
sedimentary rock
formed by the accumulation and cementation of sediment at the earth’s surface
- WHERE FOSSILS ARE MOST COMMONLY FOUND
stratigraphy
the science of mapping the order of rocks
Mesozoic
rocks in which dinosaurs are found
- in the middle of the stratigraphic column (includes triassic, jurassic, cretaceous)
- Aka “Age of Dinosaurs” or “Age of Reptiles” but misleading:
- Dinosaurs don’t become dominant land animals until Jurassic
- Mesozoic “reptiles” are a paraphyletic clade that includes things we don’t normally consider reptiles (like ancestors of mammals and birds)
- More precise: Age of Amniotes
