CULTURAL and PALEONTOLOGICAL RESOURCES ASSESSMENT This Document Is Designed for Double-Sided Printing to Conserve Natural Resources

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

CULTURAL and PALEONTOLOGICAL RESOURCES ASSESSMENT This Document Is Designed for Double-Sided Printing to Conserve Natural Resources 8.2 CULTURAL AND PALEONTOLOGICAL RESOURCES ASSESSMENT This document is designed for double-sided printing to conserve natural resources. CULTURAL AND PALEONTOLOGICAL RESOURCES ASSESSMENT MEMO FOR THE CANNON AND SERRANO INTERSECTION WIDENING PROJECT, CITY OF ORANGE, ORANGE COUNTY, CALIFORNIA Prepared for: Kristen Bogue Senior Environmental Specialist Michael Baker International Authors: Sandy Duarte, B.A.; Kim Scott, M.S. Principal Investigator For Archaeology: Desireé Martinez, M.A., RPA Principal Investigator For Paleontology: Kim Scott, M.S. June 2020 Cogstone Project Number: 4703 Type of Study: Cultural and Paleontological Resources Assessment Archaeological Sites: none Paleontological Localities: 6 localities from the Sespe-Vaqueros Formation within ~ 1 mile USGS Quadrangle: Orange 7.5’ Area: 3.17 acres Key Words: Negative survey, cultural resources assessment, late Oligocene to early Miocene undifferentiated Sespe-Vaqueros Formation, Pleistocene to Holocene alluvial fans 1518 West Taft Avenue Field Offices cogstone.com Orange, CA 92865 San Diego • Riverside • Morro Bay • Sacramento • Arizona Toll free 888-333-3212 Office (714) 974-8300 Federal Certifications WOSB, EDWOSB, SDB State Certifications DBE, WBE, SBE, UDBE Cultural and Paleontological Resources Assessment for the Cannon and Serrano Intersection Widening Project TABLE OF CONTENTS SUMMARY OF FINDINGS .................................................................................................................................... IV INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................................................... 1 PURPOSE OF STUDY ........................................................................................................................................... 1 PROJECT LOCATION ......................................................................................................................................... 2 PROJECT DESCRIPTION ................................................................................................................................... 2 PROJECT AREA....................................................................................................................................................... 2 PROJECT PERSONNEL ...................................................................................................................................... 6 BACKGROUND .......................................................................................................................................................... 6 GEOLOGIC SETTING.......................................................................................................................................... 6 STRATIGRAPHY ....................................................................................................................................................... 7 PALEONTOLOGICAL SETTING....................................................................................................................... 8 ENVIRONMENTAL SETTING ......................................................................................................................... 10 LITERATURE REVIEW AND RECORD SEARCHES ....................................................................................... 10 PALEONTOLOGICAL RECORD AND LITERATURE SEARCHES .......................................................... 10 HOLOCENE AND PLEISTOCENE DEPOSITS ............................................................................................................. 11 SESPE AND VAQUEROS FORMATION ...................................................................................................................... 11 DEFINITION OF SIGNIFICANCE FOR PALEONTOLOGICAL RESOURCES ....................................... 12 CALIFORNIA HISTORIC RESOURCES INFORMATION SYSTEM ......................................................... 13 HISTORIC SOCIETY CONSULTATION ........................................................................................................ 16 NATIVE AMERICAN CONSULTATION ........................................................................................................ 16 SURVEY ..................................................................................................................................................................... 16 METHODS ............................................................................................................................................................ 16 RESULTS .............................................................................................................................................................. 17 IMPACT ANALYSIS ................................................................................................................................................ 19 PALEONTOLOGICAL SENSITIVITY ............................................................................................................. 19 CULTURAL SENSITIVITY ............................................................................................................................... 20 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ................................................................................................... 20 PALEONTOLOGY .............................................................................................................................................. 20 CULTURAL .......................................................................................................................................................... 20 REFERENCES CITED ............................................................................................................................................. 22 APPENDIX A. QUALIFICATIONS....................................................................................................................... 26 APPENDIX B. PALEONTOLOGICAL RECORDS SEARCH ........................................................................... 31 APPENDIX C. NATIVE AMERICAN CONSULTATION .................................................................................. 34 APPENDIX D. PALEONTOLOGICAL SENSITIVITY RANKING CRITERIA ............................................. 46 Cogstone ii Cultural and Paleontological Resources Assessment for the Cannon and Serrano Intersection Widening Project LIST OF FIGURES FIGURE 1. PROJECT VICINITY MAP ............................................................................................................................ 1 FIGURE 2. PROJECT LOCATION ................................................................................................................................... 3 FIGURE 3. PROJECT AREA ........................................................................................................................................... 4 FIGURE 4. CONCEPTUAL SITE PLAN ............................................................................................................................ 5 FIGURE 5. PROJECT GEOLOGY .................................................................................................................................... 9 FIGURE 6. SOUTHEAST CORNER OF CANNON STREET TOWARDS SERRANO AVENUE, VIEW NORTH ..................... 17 FIGURE 7. NORTHWEST CORNER OF SERRANO AVENUE AND MOUNT MCKINLEY BOULEVARD, VIEW SOUTHWEST .............................................................................................................................................. 18 FIGURE 8. NORTH SIDE OF SERRANO AVENUE. REDDISH BROWN SESPE FORMATION SEDIMENTS ....................... 18 LIST OF TABLES TABLE 1. FOSSILS FROM THE SESPE-VAQUEROS FORMATION NEAR THE PROJECT ............................................... 12 TABLE 2. PREVIOUS CULTURAL STUDIES WITHIN ONE MILE OF PROJECT AREA .................................................. 13 TABLE 3. PREVIOUSLY RECORDED CULTURAL RESOURCES WITHIN ONE MILE OF PROJECT AREA .................... 14 TABLE 4. ADDITIONAL SOURCES CONSULTED .......................................................................................................... 15 TABLE 5. BLM LAND PATENTS ................................................................................................................................. 16 Cogstone iii Cultural and Paleontological Resources Assessment for the Cannon and Serrano Intersection Widening Project SUMMARY OF FINDINGS This study was conducted to determine the potential impacts to cultural and paleontological resources during the Cannon Street and Serrano Avenue Intersection Widening Project, City of Orange, California (Project). This memo report complies with the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) with the City of Orange acting as lead agency. The proposed Project will add a second dedicated right turn lane on northbound Cannon Street to eastbound Serrano Avenue as well as relocate a portion of the northerly curb on the westbound side of Serrano Avenue to widen the existing right turn lane to Cannon Street. Project sediments include early Pleistocene to Holocene alluvial fans, and latest Oligocene to latest early Miocene undifferentiated Sespe-Vaqueros Formation sediments. Modern artificial fill is also likely present. The paleontological record search revealed six localities in the undifferentiated Sespe-Vaqueros Formation near the Project Area. Fossils of carnivore, skunk, rabbit, horse, peccary,
Recommended publications
  • The Pathway Towards Sustainable Europe“
    EU Land Policy “The Pathway Towards Sustainable Europe“ Anna Bandlerová – Pavol Bielek - Pavol Schwarcz - Lucia Palšová NITRA 2016 Title: EU Land Policy “The Pathway Towards Sustainable Europe“ Authors: prof. JUDr. Anna Bandlerová, PhD. (2 AH), chapter 10 Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra prof. RNDr. Pavol Bielek, DrSc. (12,72 AH), chapter 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9; Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra prof. Ing. Pavol Schwarcz, PhD. (1,35 AH), chapter 2; Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra JUDr. Lucia Palšová, PhD. (2,57 AH), chapter 3, 11; Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra Reviewers: prof. Ing. Dušan Húska, PhD. prof. Dr. Edward Pierzgalski, PhD. © Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra Approved by the Rector of the Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra on 25.4.2016 as a scientific monograph. This scientific monograph was created with the support of the following international projects: Jean Monet Centre of Excelence, DECISION n. 2013-2883/001-001 Project No: 54260o-LLP-1-2013-1-SK-AJM-P, EU Land Policy “The Pathway Towards Sustainable Europe“ "This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein." "With the support of the Lifelong Learning Programme of the European Union" ISBN 978-80-552-1499-3 2 Look deep in to nature and than you will understand everything better. Albert Einstein 3 CONTENTS PREFACE ................................................................................................................................. 7 1 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................. 7 2 EU AGRICULTURAL POLICY (CAP) ......................................................................... 8 2.1 Introduction to CAP ....................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • The Ancients' One-Horned
    The Ancients’ One-Horned Ass: Accuracy and Consistency Chris Lavers HIS PAPER explores ancient Greek and Roman accounts of the one-horned ass.1 These narratives have been studied extensively by literary scholars and historians but have Tbeen largely ignored by zoologists and geographers. When the zoological and geographical underpinnings of the accounts are examined, however, it becomes apparent that these ancient writers may have had a more definite notion of the region about which they wrote than hitherto has been assumed. The animals contributing to the descriptions of the one-horned ass by Ctesias, Pliny, and Aelian can be found in the highlands of Central Asia. Indeed, Central Asia appears to be the only place on the Earth’s surface that could have given rise to the corpus of ancient accounts of the unicorned ass and the animals that shared its landscape. 1. Introduction Ctesias of Cnidus was a Greek physician who spent seventeen years ministering at the court of the King of Persia. In 398 B.C. he returned to Greece and began two reference works, a history of Persia in twenty-three volumes, now mostly lost, and Indica, a treatise on the region probably roughly coincident with 1 It will quickly become apparent to regular readers of this journal that the author is not a classicist. I am greatly indebted to Kent Rigsby, the editorial board of GRBS, and an anonymous reviewer for considering a manuscript from a zoologist, and for their kind assistance in turning a clumsy initial submission into the present, less clumsy version. All opinions and errors are mine.
    [Show full text]
  • September Gsat 03
    to use properties of the relict landscape The non-equilibrium landscape of the to characterize paleorelief. While elevation changes in the Sierra Nevada bear directly on several litho- southern Sierra Nevada, California spheric-scale geodynamic processes proposed for the western Cordillera, the Marin K. Clark, Gweltaz Maheo, Jason Saleeby, and Kenneth A. Farley, California elevation history of the range remains Institute of Technology, MS 100-23, Pasadena, California 91125, USA, mclark@gps. hotly debated. Several studies argue caltech.edu for an increase in range elevation in late Cenozoic time. Sedimentary evi- ABSTRACT Gubbels et al., 1993; Sugai and Ohmori, dence suggests that an increase of up The paleoelevation of the Sierra 1999; Clark et al., 2005) as in “type” to 2 km since 10 Ma has occurred due Nevada, California, is important to steady-state orogens such as Taiwan. to block faulting and westward tilting our understanding of the Cenozoic These low-relief landscapes are inter- of the range (Le Conte, 1880; Huber, geodynamic evolution of the North preted as paleolandscapes (or relict 1981; Unruh, 1991; Wakabayashi and America–Pacific plate boundary, landscapes) that preserve information Sawyer, 2001). Similarly, Stock et al. and the current debate is fueled by about erosional processes, erosion rate, (2004, 2005) document accelerated river data that argue for conflicting eleva- and relief related to past tectonic and incision between 2.7 and 1.4 Ma in the tion histories. The non-equilibrium climatic conditions. Kings River canyon, which they relate or transient landscape of the Sierra Landscape response to external forc- to a tectonically driven increase in mean Nevada contains information about ing is largely controlled by the behavior elevation.
    [Show full text]
  • An Act Prohibiting the Import, Sale and Possession of African Elephants, Lions, Leopards, Black Rhinoceros, White Rhinoceros and Giraffes
    Substitute Senate Bill No. 925 Public Act No. 21-52 AN ACT PROHIBITING THE IMPORT, SALE AND POSSESSION OF AFRICAN ELEPHANTS, LIONS, LEOPARDS, BLACK RHINOCEROS, WHITE RHINOCEROS AND GIRAFFES. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened: Section 1. (NEW) (Effective October 1, 2021) (a) For purposes of this section, "big six African species" means any specimen of any of the following members of the animal kingdom: African elephant (loxodonta africana), African lion (panthera leo), African leopard (panthera pardus pardus), black rhinoceros (diceros bicornis), white rhinoceros (ceratotherium simum cottoni) and African giraffe (giraffa camelopardalis), including any part, product or offspring thereof, or the dead body or parts thereof, except fossils, whether or not it is included in a manufactured product or in a food product. (b) No person shall import, possess, sell, offer for sale or transport in this state any big six African species. (c) Any law enforcement officer shall have authority to enforce the provisions of this section and, whenever necessary, to execute any warrant to search for and seize any big six African species imported, possessed, sold, offered for sale or transported in violation of this section. Substitute Senate Bill No. 925 (d) The provisions of subsection (b) of this section shall not apply if the possession of such specimen of a big six African species is expressly authorized by any federal law or permit, or if any of the following conditions exist that are not otherwise prohibited
    [Show full text]
  • Petition to List the Relict Leopard Frog (Rana Onca) As an Endangered Species Under the Endangered Species Act
    BEFORE THE SECRETARY OF INTERIOR PETITION TO LIST THE RELICT LEOPARD FROG (RANA ONCA) AS AN ENDANGERED SPECIES UNDER THE ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT CENTER FOR BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY SOUTHERN UTAH WILDERNESS ALLIANCE PETITIONERS May 8, 2002 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The relict leopard frog (Rana onca) has the dubious distinction of being one of the first North American amphibians thought to have become extinct. Although known to have inhabited at least 64 separate locations, the last historical collections of the species were in the 1950s and this frog was only recently rediscovered at 8 (of the original 64) locations in the early 1990s. This extremely endangered amphibian is now restricted to only 6 localities (a 91% reduction from the original 64 locations) in two disjunct areas within the Lake Mead National Recreation Area in Nevada. The relict leopard frog historically occurred in springs, seeps, and wetlands within the Virgin, Muddy, and Colorado River drainages, in Utah, Nevada, and Arizona. The Vegas Valley leopard frog, which once inhabited springs in the Las Vegas, Nevada area (and is probably now extinct), may eventually prove to be synonymous with R. onca. Relict leopard frogs were recently discovered in eight springs in the early 1990s near Lake Mead and along the Virgin River. The species has subsequently disappeared from two of these localities. Only about 500 to 1,000 adult frogs remain in the population and none of the extant locations are secure from anthropomorphic events, thus putting the species at an almost guaranteed risk of extinction. The relict leopard frog has likely been extirpated from Utah, Arizona, and from the Muddy River drainage in Nevada, and persists in only 9% of its known historical range.
    [Show full text]
  • Ecosystem Profile Madagascar and Indian
    ECOSYSTEM PROFILE MADAGASCAR AND INDIAN OCEAN ISLANDS FINAL VERSION DECEMBER 2014 This version of the Ecosystem Profile, based on the draft approved by the Donor Council of CEPF was finalized in December 2014 to include clearer maps and correct minor errors in Chapter 12 and Annexes Page i Prepared by: Conservation International - Madagascar Under the supervision of: Pierre Carret (CEPF) With technical support from: Moore Center for Science and Oceans - Conservation International Missouri Botanical Garden And support from the Regional Advisory Committee Léon Rajaobelina, Conservation International - Madagascar Richard Hughes, WWF – Western Indian Ocean Edmond Roger, Université d‘Antananarivo, Département de Biologie et Ecologie Végétales Christopher Holmes, WCS – Wildlife Conservation Society Steve Goodman, Vahatra Will Turner, Moore Center for Science and Oceans, Conservation International Ali Mohamed Soilihi, Point focal du FEM, Comores Xavier Luc Duval, Point focal du FEM, Maurice Maurice Loustau-Lalanne, Point focal du FEM, Seychelles Edmée Ralalaharisoa, Point focal du FEM, Madagascar Vikash Tatayah, Mauritian Wildlife Foundation Nirmal Jivan Shah, Nature Seychelles Andry Ralamboson Andriamanga, Alliance Voahary Gasy Idaroussi Hamadi, CNDD- Comores Luc Gigord - Conservatoire botanique du Mascarin, Réunion Claude-Anne Gauthier, Muséum National d‘Histoire Naturelle, Paris Jean-Paul Gaudechoux, Commission de l‘Océan Indien Drafted by the Ecosystem Profiling Team: Pierre Carret (CEPF) Harison Rabarison, Nirhy Rabibisoa, Setra Andriamanaitra,
    [Show full text]
  • PALEONTOLOGICAL TECHNICAL REPORT: 6Th AVENUE and WADSWORTH BOULEVARD INTERCHANGE PHASE II ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT, CITY of LAKEWOOD, JEFFERSON COUNTY, COLORADO
    PALEONTOLOGICAL TECHNICAL REPORT: 6th AVENUE AND WADSWORTH BOULEVARD INTERCHANGE PHASE II ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT, CITY OF LAKEWOOD, JEFFERSON COUNTY, COLORADO Prepared for: TEC Inc. 1746 Cole Boulevard, Suite 265 Golden, CO 80401 Prepared by: Paul C. Murphey, Ph.D. and David Daitch M.S. Rocky Mountain Paleontology 4614 Lonespur Court Oceanside, CA 92056 303-514-1095; 760-758-4019 www.rockymountainpaleontology.com Prepared under State of Colorado Paleontological Permit 2007-33 January, 2007 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1.0 SUMMARY............................................................................................................................. 3 2.0 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................... 4 2.1 DEFINITION AND SIGNIFICANCE OF PALEONTOLOGICAL RESOURCES........... 4 3.0 METHODS .............................................................................................................................. 6 4.0. LAWS, ORDINANCES, REGULATIONS AND STANDARDS......................................... 7 4.1. Federal................................................................................................................................. 7 4.2. State..................................................................................................................................... 8 4.3. County................................................................................................................................. 8 4.4. City.....................................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Mammalia, Felidae, Canidae, and Mustelidae) from the Earliest Hemphillian Screw Bean Local Fauna, Big Bend National Park, Brewster County, Texas
    Chapter 9 Carnivora (Mammalia, Felidae, Canidae, and Mustelidae) From the Earliest Hemphillian Screw Bean Local Fauna, Big Bend National Park, Brewster County, Texas MARGARET SKEELS STEVENS1 AND JAMES BOWIE STEVENS2 ABSTRACT The Screw Bean Local Fauna is the earliest Hemphillian fauna of the southwestern United States. The fossil remains occur in all parts of the informal Banta Shut-in formation, nowhere very fossiliferous. The formation is informally subdivided on the basis of stepwise ®ning and slowing deposition into Lower (least fossiliferous), Middle, and Red clay members, succeeded by the valley-®lling, Bench member (most fossiliferous). Identi®ed Carnivora include: cf. Pseudaelurus sp. and cf. Nimravides catocopis, medium and large extinct cats; Epicyon haydeni, large borophagine dog; Vulpes sp., small fox; cf. Eucyon sp., extinct primitive canine; Buisnictis chisoensis, n. sp., extinct skunk; and Martes sp., marten. B. chisoensis may be allied with Spilogale on the basis of mastoid specialization. Some of the Screw Bean taxa are late survivors of the Clarendonian Chronofauna, which extended through most or all of the early Hemphillian. The early early Hemphillian, late Miocene age attributed to the fauna is based on the Screw Bean assemblage postdating or- eodont and predating North American edentate occurrences, on lack of de®ning Hemphillian taxa, and on stage of evolution. INTRODUCTION southwestern North America, and ®ll a pa- leobiogeographic gap. In Trans-Pecos Texas NAMING AND IMPORTANCE OF THE SCREW and adjacent Chihuahua and Coahuila, Mex- BEAN LOCAL FAUNA: The name ``Screw Bean ico, they provide an age determination for Local Fauna,'' Banta Shut-in formation, postvolcanic (,18±20 Ma; Henry et al., Trans-Pecos Texas (®g.
    [Show full text]
  • Appendix D Paleontological Resources Technical Report
    Kassab Travel Center Project Appendix D Paleontological Resources Technical Report PALEONTOLOGICAL RESOURCES TECHNICAL REPORT FOR THE KASSAB TRAVEL CENTER PROJECT, CITY OF LAKE ELSINORE, CALIFORNIA Prepared for: Josh Haskins Environmental Advisors 2400 E. Katella Avenue, Suite 800 Anaheim, CA 92806 Principal Investigator: Kim Scott, Principal Paleontologist August 2017 Project Number: 4083 Type of Study: Paleontological Resources Assessment Localities: None within five miles of the project in late Pleistocene alluvium USGS Quadrangle: Elsinore 7.5’ Area: 2.39 acres Key Words: modern artificial fill (PFYC 1), Holocene to late Pleistocene axial channel deposits (PFYC 2 at surface, PFYC 3a at more than 8 feet deep), early Pleistocene very old alluvial fan (PFYC 3b); negative survey 1518 West Taft Avenue Branch Offices cogstone.com Orange, CA 92865 San Diego – Riverside – Morro Bay – San Francisco Toll free (888) 333-3212 Office (714) 974-8300 Federal Certifications 8(a), SDB, EDWOSB State Certifications DBE, WBE, SBE, UDBE Kassab Travel Center Paleontology Assessment TABLE OF CONTENTS SUMMARY OF FINDINGS .................................................................................................................................... III INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................................................... 1 PURPOSE OF STUDY ...................................................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Greater One-Horned Rhinoceros Or Indian Rhino
    GREATER ONE-HORNED RHINO Perissodactyla Family: Rhinocerotidae Genus: Rhinoceros Species: unicornis Range: Nepal and Northeastern India (Assam). Limited to 10 sites in India and 2 in Nepal Habitat: floodplains of large rivers, swampy and tall grass areas, reed beds, grasslands and wooded meadows Niche: crepuscular terrestrial herbivore Wild diet: grass, fruit, leaves, branches of trees and shrubs, and cultivated crops. Zoo diet: horse chow, alfalfa, oats, hay, fruits, vegetables, acacia Life Span: (Wild) 35-40 years (Captivity) 47 years Sexual dimorphism: male is larger Location in SF Zoo: Lion Fountain Trail in pachyderm building APPEARANCE & PHYSICAL ADAPTATIONS: The greater-one horned rhinoceros or Indian rhino is the largest Asian rhino, and is characterized by skin folds that resemble armor plating with wart-like bumps that cover the shoulder and upper leg region. They have a single blunt, somewhat stubby horn that sits on a bony knob and is composed of hardened, compressed keratin (hair-like) fibers. Weight: M 4,800 lbs. F 3,500 lb Indian rhinos have a prehensile (grasping) upper lip that is flexible and Length: 7-14 ft is used to grasp bunches of grass in a browsing motion or can be SH: M 5.9' / F5.2' tucked out of the way for grazing short grasses. Their excellent sense TL: 28 in. of smell and hearing gives rhinos information about their surroundings and help them detect danger. Rhinos have poor vision, and are extremely near-sighted, making them very dangerous and unpredictable and likely to charge unfamiliar sounds and smells. Like horses, rhinos run and walk on their toes, and can run a surprising 28 to 35 miles per hour for short distances.
    [Show full text]
  • Constraints on the Timescale of Animal Evolutionary History
    Palaeontologia Electronica palaeo-electronica.org Constraints on the timescale of animal evolutionary history Michael J. Benton, Philip C.J. Donoghue, Robert J. Asher, Matt Friedman, Thomas J. Near, and Jakob Vinther ABSTRACT Dating the tree of life is a core endeavor in evolutionary biology. Rates of evolution are fundamental to nearly every evolutionary model and process. Rates need dates. There is much debate on the most appropriate and reasonable ways in which to date the tree of life, and recent work has highlighted some confusions and complexities that can be avoided. Whether phylogenetic trees are dated after they have been estab- lished, or as part of the process of tree finding, practitioners need to know which cali- brations to use. We emphasize the importance of identifying crown (not stem) fossils, levels of confidence in their attribution to the crown, current chronostratigraphic preci- sion, the primacy of the host geological formation and asymmetric confidence intervals. Here we present calibrations for 88 key nodes across the phylogeny of animals, rang- ing from the root of Metazoa to the last common ancestor of Homo sapiens. Close attention to detail is constantly required: for example, the classic bird-mammal date (base of crown Amniota) has often been given as 310-315 Ma; the 2014 international time scale indicates a minimum age of 318 Ma. Michael J. Benton. School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1RJ, U.K. [email protected] Philip C.J. Donoghue. School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1RJ, U.K. [email protected] Robert J.
    [Show full text]
  • Soils in the Geologic Record
    in the Geologic Record 2021 Soils Planner Natural Resources Conservation Service Words From the Deputy Chief Soils are essential for life on Earth. They are the source of nutrients for plants, the medium that stores and releases water to plants, and the material in which plants anchor to the Earth’s surface. Soils filter pollutants and thereby purify water, store atmospheric carbon and thereby reduce greenhouse gasses, and support structures and thereby provide the foundation on which civilization erects buildings and constructs roads. Given the vast On February 2, 2020, the USDA, Natural importance of soil, it’s no wonder that the U.S. Government has Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) an agency, NRCS, devoted to preserving this essential resource. welcomed Dr. Luis “Louie” Tupas as the NRCS Deputy Chief for Soil Science and Resource Less widely recognized than the value of soil in maintaining Assessment. Dr. Tupas brings knowledge and experience of global change and climate impacts life is the importance of the knowledge gained from soils in the on agriculture, forestry, and other landscapes to the geologic record. Fossil soils, or “paleosols,” help us understand NRCS. He has been with USDA since 2004. the history of the Earth. This planner focuses on these soils in the geologic record. It provides examples of how paleosols can retain Dr. Tupas, a career member of the Senior Executive Service since 2014, served as the Deputy Director information about climates and ecosystems of the prehistoric for Bioenergy, Climate, and Environment, the Acting past. By understanding this deep history, we can obtain a better Deputy Director for Food Science and Nutrition, and understanding of modern climate, current biodiversity, and the Director for International Programs at USDA, ongoing soil formation and destruction.
    [Show full text]