I was shocked to learn that Connecticut was once around the current latitude of Puerto Rico and that the rifting of the Hartford Basin, which created the North Atlantic Ocean. It really puts everything into a larger perspective and makes me feel pretty insignificant compared to our earth’s extensive history. Although I am not that interested in the formulaic process of planning and mapping out the lithologies and outcrops, I found it helpful to have the authors describe the method. I never really think about it but it makes sense that there were multiple sedimentary and volcanic layers in the basin.
I enjoyed reading the Colbert article more because of the story-like tone. I was able to imagine the setting of the article vividly with all the various animals and plant life. It was interesting to learn about Connecticut’s Triassic and Jurassic Periods. To imagine dinosaurs once roaming around in New Haven is amusing, yet peaceful; I would have loved to live in an era with dinosaurs – or maybe for just a day. It is amazing that that archaeologists are still uncovering dinosaur fossils and bones, proving that it is almost impossible to identify and detail the earth’s history. I was shocked to read that dinosaur bones are light and hollow, similar to their descendants – birds. It is fairly humorous that a paleontologist named a dinosaur genus after Yale University (Yaleosaurus).
I would like to learn more about how and where dinosaurs originated but it appears that archaeologists and paleontologists already have a difficult time uncovering dinosaur bones and matching them with footprints.
Turns out I did not know several words from The Bedrock Geology of the Hartford South Quadrangle, probably due to my lack of knowledge in the subject:
lithology: the gross physical character of a rock or rock formation
slickenside: a polished and striated rock surface that results from friction along a fault or bedding plane
