The Challenge of Fossil Forests for Creationist Research
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The Jurassic Fossil Wood Diversity from Western Liaoning, NE China
Jiang et al. Journal of Palaeogeography (2019) 8:1 https://doi.org/10.1186/s42501-018-0018-y Journal of Palaeogeography RESEARCH Open Access The Jurassic fossil wood diversity from western Liaoning, NE China Zi-Kun Jiang1,2, Yong-Dong Wang2,3*, Ning Tian4,5, Ao-Wei Xie2,6, Wu Zhang7, Li-Qin Li2 and Min Huang1 Abstract Western Liaoning is a unique region in China that bears diverse types of Jurassic plants, including leaves, fern rhizomes, and wood, providing significant proxy for vegetation and palaeoenvironment reconstruction of the well-known Yanliao Flora in East Asia. In particular, the silicified wood is very abundant in the fossil Lagerstätte of the Jurassic Tiaojishan Formation in Beipiao, western Liaoning. Previous and recent systematic investigations documented a high diversity of the Jurassic wood assemblages. These assemblages are dominated by conifers, followed by cycads and ginkgoaleans. In total, about 30 species belonging to 21 genera of fossil wood have been recorded so far, which are represented by Cycadopsida, Ginkgopsida, Coniferopsida, and Gymnospermae incertae sedis. The evolutionary implications of several distinctive fossil wood taxa as well as palaeoclimate implications are summarized based on their anatomical structures and growth ring patterns. This work approaches the vegetation development and evolutionary significances of the wood taxa and their relatives, and provides clues for the further understanding of the diversity of the Jurassic Yanliao Flora in East Asia. Keywords: Fossil wood, Diversity, Evolution, Tiaojishan Formation, Jurassic 1 Introduction 2004;Wangetal.,2009). Among these localities, western Fossil floras are a significant record for the vegetation Liaoning is a well-known fossil Lagerstätte with diverse and for the palaeoenvironment reconstructions of the and well-preserved fossil plant foliages and wood (Zhang Mesozoic. -
8 Day Southern Scenic Route
8 Day Southern Scenic Route The Journey Few New Zealand road trips rival the Southern Scenic Route for diversity. Sure, it takes in Queenstown, Milford Sound and other landmark attractions on its wiggly ‘U’ through the deep south, but it also travels to quieter corners, with hidden gems just as likely to wow you. The Southern Scenic Route website paints a comprehensive picture, but read on for a hit-list of our favourite stops (often involving home-baking). Highlights of the trip Queenstown Te Anau Milford & Doubtful Sounds Bluff Day 1 Queenstown Frequently lauded as one of the world’s best mountain resorts, Queenstown lives up to the hype with a buzzy centre and beautiful lakeside setting. It also offers a bamboozling array of activities within easy reach including hiking and cycling trails, golf courses, wineries, and iconic must-do’s such as the TSS Earnslaw lake cruise and Skyline Gondola. It’s also campervan heaven, with plenty of holiday parks and reserves near the town centre. Day 2 Queenstown to Te Anau SH6 skirts Lake Wakatipu and meets SH94 to Te Anau. Sitting prettily beside the South Island’s largest lake and boasting seasoned visitor facilities including three top-notch holiday parks, Te Anau is a great base for Fiordland adventures such as world-famous Great Walks and Milford Sound. Attractions close to town include the other-worldly Glowworm Caves, and the conservation-focused Wildlife Centre, accessible by foot or hire-bike along the view-filled Lakeside Track. Reward yourself with a Miles Better Pie. Yum. SIDE TRIP - Milford Sound Pies aside, we’ll eat our hats if you’re not totally wowed by this spectacular drive through the beautiful Eglinton Valley (campsites, sandflies) and rocky narrows around Homer Tunnel. -
Natural Landscapes and Gardens of New Zealand's South Island
Natural Landscapes and Gardens of New Zealand’s South Island – November 2021 5 NOV – 21 NOV 2021 Code: 22166 Tour Leaders Stephen Ryan, Craig Lidgerwood Physical Ratings Horticulturalist Stephen Ryan visits an extraordinary variety of private gardens and natural landscapes including Milford Sound, The Catlins and the spectacular Mackenzie Region. Overview Led by horticulturalist Stephen Ryan this tour visits an extraordinary variety of public and private gardens and spectacular natural landscapes of New Zealand's South Island. Stephen will be assisted by Craig Lidgerwood. Explore the beautiful Malborough Region, famous for its traditional gardens and viticulture. Enjoy the hospitality of the garden owners at the MacFarlane’s magical Winterhome garden, Huguette Michel’s Hortensia and Carolyn Ferraby’s Barewood Gardens. Visit 5 gardens classified as Gardens of International Significance: Sir Miles Warren's private garden, Ohinetahi (Christchurch), Flaxmere Garden (North Canterbury), Trotts Garden (Ashburton), Larnach Castle Gardens (Dunedin) and the Dunedin Botanic Garden. By special appointment view Broadfields NZ Landscape Garden designed by Robert Watson in Christchurch, Maple Glen Gardens in Eastern Southland, and the spectacular gardens of Clachanburn Station in Central Otago. Travel the rugged west coast and visit Fox Glacier and Mount Cook on the journey south through Westland National Park. Spend 2 nights at the Lake Moeraki Wildnerness Lodge, in the heart of Te Wahipounamu World Heritage Area where local experts. will take you though the rainforest into the habitats of glow- worms, Morepork Owls, fur seals and Fiordland Crested Penguins. Travel through the Fiordland National Park encompassing mountain, lake, fiord and rainforest environments. Enjoy a relaxing cruise of Milford Sound, described by Rudyard Kipling as the '8th wonder of the world'. -
The Earliest Record of Fossil Solid-Wood-Borer Larvae—Immature Beetles in 99 Million-Year-Old Myanmar Amber
Palaeoentomology 004 (4): 390–404 ISSN 2624-2826 (print edition) https://www.mapress.com/j/pe/ PALAEOENTOMOLOGY Copyright © 2021 Magnolia Press Article ISSN 2624-2834 (online edition) PE https://doi.org/10.11646/palaeoentomology.4.4.14 http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:9F96DA9A-E2F3-466A-A623-0D1D6689D345 The earliest record of fossil solid-wood-borer larvae—immature beetles in 99 million-year-old Myanmar amber CAROLIN HAUG1, 2, *, GIDEON T. HAUG1, ANA ZIPPEL1, SERITA VAN DER WAL1 & JOACHIM T. HAUG1, 2 1Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Biocenter, Großhaderner Str. 2, 82152 Planegg-Martinsried, Germany 2GeoBio-Center at LMU, Richard-Wagner-Str. 10, 80333 München, Germany �[email protected]; https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9208-4229 �[email protected]; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6963-5982 �[email protected]; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6509-4445 �[email protected] https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7426-8777 �[email protected]; https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8254-8472 *Corresponding author Abstract different plants, including agriculturally important ones (e.g., Potts et al., 2010; Powney et al., 2019). On the Interactions between animals and plants represent an other hand, many representatives exploit different parts of important driver of evolution. Especially the group Insecta plants, often causing severe damage up to the loss of entire has an enormous impact on plants, e.g., by consuming them. crops (e.g., Metcalf, 1996; Evans et al., 2007; Oliveira et Among beetles, the larvae of different groups (Buprestidae, Cerambycidae, partly Eucnemidae) bore into wood and are al., 2014). -
How Old Is the Earth?
How old is the earth? From Refuting Evolution, a handbook for students, parents, and teachers countering the latest arguments for evolution by Jonathan Sarfati, Ph.D., F.M. First published in Refuting Evolution, Chapter 8 Evolutionists fallaciously think that billions of years of time makes particles-to-people evolution possible. So Teaching about Evolution and the Nature of Science presents what it claims is evidence for vast time spans. This is graphically illustrated in a chart on pages 36–37: man’s existence is in such a tiny segment at the end of a 5-billion-year time-line that it has to be diagrammatically magnified twice to show up. On the other hand, basing one’s ideas on the Bible gives a very different picture. The Bible states that man was made six days after creation, about 6,000 years ago. So a time-line of the world constructed on biblical data would have man almost at the beginning, not the end. If we took the same 15-inch (39 cm) time-line as does Teaching about Evolution to represent the biblical history of the earth, 1 man would be about /1000 of a mm away from the beginning! Also, Christians, by definition, take the statements of Jesus Christ seriously. He said: ‘But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female’ (Mark 10:6), which would make sense with the proposed biblical time-line, but is diametrically opposed to the Teaching about Evolution time-line. This chapter analyzes rock formation and dating methods in terms of what these two competing models would predict. -
Oxygen Isotopes of East Asian Dinosaurs Reveal Exceptionally Cold Early Cretaceous Climates
Oxygen isotopes of East Asian dinosaurs reveal exceptionally cold Early Cretaceous climates Romain Amiota,1,2, Xu Wangb, Zhonghe Zhoua, Xiaolin Wanga, Eric Buffetautc, Christophe Lécuyerd,2, Zhongli Dingb, Frédéric Fluteaue, Tsuyoshi Hibinof, Nao Kusuhashig, Jinyou Moh, Varavudh Suteethorni, Yuanqing Wanga, Xing Xua, and Fusong Zhangb aKey Laboratory of Evolutionary Systematics of Vertebrates, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), 142 Xi Zhi Men Wai DaJie, Beijing 100044, China; bKey Laboratory of Cenozoic Geology and Environment, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 19 Beitucheng Xilu, Beijing 100029, China; cCNRS (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique) UMR (Unité Mixte de Recherche) 8538, Laboratoire de Géologie de l’Ecole Normale Supérieure, 24, Rue Lhomond, 75231 Paris Cedex 05, France; dCNRS (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique) UMR (Unité Mixte de Recherche) 5125, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, 2, Rue Raphaël Dubois, 69622 Villeurbanne Cedex, France; eInstitut de Physique du Globe de Paris, 1 Rue Jussieu, 75238 Paris Cedex 05, France; fShiramine Institute of Paleontology, Kuwajima, Hakusan, Ishikawa 920-2502, Japan; gDepartment of Earth's Evolution and Environment, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Ehime University, 2-5 Bunkyo-cho, Matsuyama, Ehime 790-8577, Japan; hFaculty of Earth Sciences, China University of Geosciences, 388 Lumo Road, Wuhan 430074, China; andiDepartment of Mineral Resources, Rama VI Road, Bangkok 10400, Thailand Edited by Paul E. Olsen, Columbia University, Palisades, NY, and approved November 4, 2010 (received for review August 3, 2010) Early Cretaceous vertebrate assemblages from East Asia and parti- sanidine crystals from tuff beds within the Yixian Formation cularly the Jehol Biota of northeastern China flourished during a and the base of the overlying Jiufotang Formation gave an age period of highly debated climatic history. -
Mississippi Geology 2
~ THE DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES- ~( miSSISSippi. ~ geology Bureau of Geology 2525 North West Street Volume 2, Number 2 • -.,.-.... Jackson, Mississippi 39216 December 1981 FOSSIL WOOD FROM THOMPSON CREEK, YAZOO COUNTY, MISSISSIPPI Will H. Blackwe ll Department of Botany and Department of Geology Miami University, Oxford, Ohio and George H. Dukes Route 2, Box 127 Brandon, Mississippi Introduction Fossil wood is a common commodity in Mississippi, even to the point that it has been designated as the "state stone." There is interest in it commercially (e.g., jewelry), as a popular collector's item among "rockhounds," and sc ientifically. Yet, available information is all too often deficient in detail (and sometimes even accuracy). This is especially true when such "hard nosed" questions as the fo ll owing are posed concerning a particular fossil wood specimen: 1) Exactly what kind of wood is it, botanically?, 2) Precisely where did it come from?, 3) How old is it, geo logically?, and 4) What is the mecha nism by which it became petrified? Certain identification, and literature providing other exact information, is typi cally lacking (or else not generally avai lable) for collec tions of petrified wood from a giveo site (outstanding exceptions are the works of E. W. Berry many years ago, e.g., Berry, 1916, 1924). Fossil wood is without question Cross section of fossil red maple (x 68) from Thompson one of Mississippi's rich natural treasures, and yet, sur- Creek. prisingly, so very little is actually known about it. This is a in particular (Fig. 1). Thompson Creek is now a rather fact which has bothered the authors of this paper for some famous local ity being as it is the site of a relatively recent time, especially since both of us grew up and received discovery of a fossi l whale (archaeocete) of Eocene Age our college educations in Mississippi, and sinc-e betA ~'lave (55 million- years B.P., approximate), which has su-bs-«? maintained an interest in southeastern fossil plant material. -
The Scientific Investigation of Fossil Wood
•THE DEPARTMENT• OF ENVIRONMENTAL• QUAUTY• miSSISSIPPI Bureau of Geology geolo 2525 North West Street P. 0. Box 5348 Volume 10, Number 1 Jackson, Mississippi 39296-5348 September 1989 published February 1990 THE SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATION OF FOSSIL WOOD Will H. Blackwell Joe H. Marak Department of Botany and Department of Geology Miami University Miami University Oxford, Ohio 45056 Oxford, Ohio 45056 INTRODUCTION more reliable than accepting an account of where the material came from from a second party. Taking photographs of the Sufficient interest has developed in fossil wood in the wood " in place" in the field is a sound practice. A perma southeastern United States to suggest that information on how nent record book should be kept. It is well to label each to approach its study is in order. This paper consequently specimen of fossil wood with an identifying mark (number deals with a number of topics directly related to the scientific and/or lettering system) and keep such information in the investigation of fossil wood, including: how to collect and record book. It is often possible to write directly on the curate specimens, how wood is fossilized (i.e., the preserva specimens in pen or pencil. We have found the best way to tion states), how fossil wood is thin-sectioned for microscopic store specimens is in brown paper sandwich bags, which may examination, and how it is studied and photographed under be labelled as well. It is a good idea to keep all bags from the microscope. Information on literature and publication of a given collection site together in a labelled box, or on the results is also given. -
Retallack 2021 Coal Balls
Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 564 (2021) 110185 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/palaeo Modern analogs reveal the origin of Carboniferous coal balls Gregory Retallack * Department of Earth Science, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403-1272, USA ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT Keywords: Coal balls are calcareous peats with cellular permineralization invaluable for understanding the anatomy of Coal ball Pennsylvanian and Permian fossil plants. Two distinct kinds of coal balls are here recognized in both Holocene Histosol and Pennsylvanian calcareous Histosols. Respirogenic calcite coal balls have arrays of calcite δ18O and δ13C like Carbon isotopes those of desert soil calcic horizons reflecting isotopic composition of CO2 gas from an aerobic microbiome. Permineralization Methanogenic calcite coal balls in contrast have invariant δ18O for a range of δ13C, and formed with anaerobic microbiomes in soil solutions with bicarbonate formed by methane oxidation and sugar fermentation. Respiro genic coal balls are described from Holocene peats in Eight Mile Creek South Australia, and noted from Carboniferous coals near Penistone, Yorkshire. Methanogenic coal balls are described from Carboniferous coals at Berryville (Illinois) and Steubenville (Ohio), Paleocene lignites of Sutton (Alaska), Eocene lignites of Axel Heiberg Island (Nunavut), Pleistocene peats of Konya (Turkey), and Holocene peats of Gramigne di Bando (Italy). Soils and paleosols with coal balls are neither common nor extinct, but were formed by two distinct soil microbiomes. 1. Introduction and Royer, 2019). Although best known from Euramerican coal mea sures of Pennsylvanian age (Greb et al., 1999; Raymond et al., 2012, Coal balls were best defined by Seward (1895, p. -
Invercargill the Catlins Itinerary
Welcome to SOUTHLAND Invercargill & The Catlins 4 days, 3 nights #MySouthland Welcome to Invercargill Day 1 Time Activity Notes Breakfast Breakfast in Dunedin 0800 Drive Dunedin to Invercargill Following SH1 1030 Arrive in Invercargill 1035 Visit Bill Richardson Transport The largest private collection of its World type in the World, Bill Richardson Transport World has literally hundreds of vehicles and petrol pumps on display throughout 15,000sqm there is a lot to take in. 491 Tay St, Hawthorndale Invercargill 9810, New Zealand 1235 Suggested lunch: The Grille Cafe Located at Bill Richardson Transport World, The Grille Cafe serves delicious food and is a big part of the experiences at Transport World. Their flavours strive to include the very best of New Zealand and Southland cuisine. 1330 Drive to Riverton the ‘Riviera Follow the Southern Scenic Route of the South’ to the popular seaside village of Riverton, which is rich in Maori history and is one of the earliest European settlements in New Zealand. Visit the Te Hikoi Southern Journey Heritage Museum and take a photo with the infamous paua shell on the main road. 1400 Arrive in Riverton Suggested places to visit Colac Bay For surfers, food lovers, history buffs or those simply contemplating the power of the great Southern Ocean, Colac Bay and its surrounds offer a great place to slow down and take a break. Riverton Local Organic The Riverton Organic Food Coop is a nonprofit group run by volunteers enabling people to buy organic food at cost price and in doing so supporting natural and sustainable practices Visit Te Hikoi Southern Journey Take an interactive journey Heritage Museum through 'Te Hikoi', featuring authentic displays, adventurous characters and engaging stories. -
Mineralogy of Non-Silicified Fossil Wood
Article Mineralogy of Non-Silicified Fossil Wood George E. Mustoe Geology Department, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA 98225, USA; [email protected]; Tel: +1-360-650-3582 Received: 21 December 2017; Accepted: 27 February 2018; Published: 3 March 2018 Abstract: The best-known and most-studied petrified wood specimens are those that are mineralized with polymorphs of silica: opal-A, opal-C, chalcedony, and quartz. Less familiar are fossil woods preserved with non-silica minerals. This report reviews discoveries of woods mineralized with calcium carbonate, calcium phosphate, various iron and copper minerals, manganese oxide, fluorite, barite, natrolite, and smectite clay. Regardless of composition, the processes of mineralization involve the same factors: availability of dissolved elements, pH, Eh, and burial temperature. Permeability of the wood and anatomical features also plays important roles in determining mineralization. When precipitation occurs in several episodes, fossil wood may have complex mineralogy. Keywords: fossil wood; mineralogy; paleobotany; permineralization 1. Introduction Non-silica minerals that cause wood petrifaction include calcite, apatite, iron pyrites, siderite, hematite, manganese oxide, various copper minerals, fluorite, barite, natrolite, and the chromium- rich smectite clay mineral, volkonskoite. This report provides a broad overview of woods fossilized with these minerals, describing specimens from world-wide locations comprising a diverse variety of mineral assemblages. Data from previously-undescribed fossil woods are also presented. The result is a paper that has a somewhat unconventional format, being a combination of literature review and original research. In an attempt for clarity, the information is organized based on mineral composition, rather than in the format of a hypothesis-driven research report. -
The Joggins Fossil Cliffs UNESCO World Heritage Site: a Review of Recent Research
The Joggins Fossil Cliffs UNESCO World Heritage site: a review of recent research Melissa Grey¹,²* and Zoe V. Finkel² 1. Joggins Fossil Institute, 100 Main St. Joggins, Nova Scotia B0L 1A0, Canada 2. Environmental Science Program, Mount Allison University, Sackville, New Brunswick E4L 1G7, Canada *Corresponding author: <[email protected]> Date received: 28 July 2010 ¶ Date accepted 25 May 2011 ABSTRACT The Joggins Fossil Cliffs UNESCO World Heritage Site is a Carboniferous coastal section along the shores of the Cumberland Basin, an extension of Chignecto Bay, itself an arm of the Bay of Fundy, with excellent preservation of biota preserved in their environmental context. The Cliffs provide insight into the Late Carboniferous (Pennsylvanian) world, the most important interval in Earth’s past for the formation of coal. The site has had a long history of scientific research and, while there have been well over 100 publications in over 150 years of research at the Cliffs, discoveries continue and critical questions remain. Recent research (post-1950) falls under one of three categories: general geol- ogy; paleobiology; and paleoenvironmental reconstruction, and provides a context for future work at the site. While recent research has made large strides in our understanding of the Late Carboniferous, many questions remain to be studied and resolved, and interest in addressing these issues is clearly not waning. Within the World Heritage Site, we suggest that the uppermost formations (Springhill Mines and Ragged Reef), paleosols, floral and trace fossil tax- onomy, and microevolutionary patterns are among the most promising areas for future study. RÉSUMÉ Le site du patrimoine mondial de l’UNESCO des falaises fossilifères de Joggins est situé sur une partie du littoral qui date du Carbonifère, sur les rives du bassin de Cumberland, qui est une prolongation de la baie de Chignecto, elle-même un bras de la baie de Fundy.