In the Jurassic you could have walked from what is now the fossil forest at Curio Bay in southernmost New Zealand (see featured image), to Australia, or Antarctica. Both continents were then part of Gondwana, and Curio Bay was somewhere near Gondwana’s coast. Did dinosaurs travel as freely, and would they have roamed the forest?… Continue reading Were there dinosaurs in New Zealand’s Jurassic Fossil Forest at Curio Bay?
Uganda – Hell-train to Kasese
As I lowered my arse out the door of the moving train, with my trousers and undies around my ankles, I saw a terrifying sight. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. I had a vague plan to get to South Africa, kind of over-land. Starting in Nairobi, Kenya, I had made it to Kampala, the capital of Uganda. The city… Continue reading Uganda – Hell-train to Kasese
When Corals Lived in the Mongolian Gobi
Corals in Mongolia – is there a better example of dramatic Earth-change?! The Gobi Altai -the mountains flanking the Gobi Desert, are far from the sea. They are semi- arid, bitterly cold in the winter, with lots of bare rock and virtually no trees. Nomadic herders keep their flocks on the move, there is so… Continue reading When Corals Lived in the Mongolian Gobi
What latitude did the Jurassic Fossil Forest of Curio Bay grow at?
The Jurassic fossil forest of Curio Bay today lies almost at the southern tip of New Zealand’s South Island. In the Jurassic, you could have walked from Curio Bay to what is now Australia and Antarctica (Dinosaurs may have done just that). We know from Tasman Sea and Southern Ocean sea-floor data that the western… Continue reading What latitude did the Jurassic Fossil Forest of Curio Bay grow at?
New Zealand’s first fossil horsetails in millions of years
With the precious fossils laid out carefully on a sun-hat held in my hands, I took a confident stride from one boulder to the next. And slipped. My left knee cap took the full impact of my body on another boulder, about a meter down. My head, fortunately, hit the Buller River, as did the… Continue reading New Zealand’s first fossil horsetails in millions of years
Tourists and War-Graves in Taganrog, South Russia
The man in the Taganrog Park spun around and said something at us. The only word I made out was ‘anglesky’ (‘English’)- the Russian had heard us speaking. Taganrog is well off the route of the average Western tourist in Russia. We were in Taganrog because our guide and driver Olga Tikidzhan (see her contact… Continue reading Tourists and War-Graves in Taganrog, South Russia
Hey – I tracked a Chinese dinosaur!
A small claim to fame….Last year I found some little dinosaur footprints in China, and the resulting paper has just been published on-line. I spent a year at the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology as a Visiting Professor. The first field trip was to the province of Sichuan, a couple of hours flying to… Continue reading Hey – I tracked a Chinese dinosaur!
Nomadic Women’s Underwear – in Greek Tanais on the Russian Don
You’ll see the chick with red and green silk bloomers at Tanais… The River Don is one of Europe’s big ones. Even if you haven’t heard of it, the sound should be somewhat familiar – there’s Danube, Dnieper, and the Dniester. They all contain the ancient word ‘don’ word, which simply means …. ‘river’. The… Continue reading Nomadic Women’s Underwear – in Greek Tanais on the Russian Don
How to see the Porthole Dolmens of Russia’s Caucasus
Travelling in Russia last year I got a chance to see some of it’s famous prehistoric ‘Porthole Dolmens’. Now there is a solid dollop of ‘Atlantic facade’ DNA in me – i.e. Ireland and Scotland, and one of my pet fascinations is for the ‘megalithic monuments’ of those areas. Building megaliths was a widespread phenomenon… Continue reading How to see the Porthole Dolmens of Russia’s Caucasus
Deciduous Conifers in New Zealand’s Jurassic Fossil Forest at Curio Bay
As you pull up in the car park above the fossil forest at Curio Bay (Pole 1999, 2001, 2004, 2009), there is a wonderful patch of living, native forest, just behind. Its conifers, like all New Zealand conifers today, are evergreen. But what of Curio Bay’s forest, back in the Jurassic? The most common type… Continue reading Deciduous Conifers in New Zealand’s Jurassic Fossil Forest at Curio Bay