The ‘God’ of trace fossils, Adolf ‘Dolf’ Seilacher, once visited our Geology Department, when I was an undergrad. My Prof, Doug Campbell, arranged a field trip for him, and invited me to come. We went to the Oamaru area, and quite incidentally, we took Seilacher to see some of the well-known early Polynesian rock art… Continue reading Bioturbation near the Jurassic Fossil Forests at Curio Bay
Tag: New Zealand geology
The Hollow Tree Stumps at Curio Bay
A hollow tree stump at the Jurassic fossil forest of Curio Bay, New Zealand. The inside of the stump (the wood is yellow, and has come black, ‘coally’ material inside) has been filled with sandy material (grey). Could this be an in-filled fire-scar? The Jurassic fossil forest exposed on the shore at Curio Bay, southern… Continue reading The Hollow Tree Stumps at Curio Bay
Academic Misconduct at Otago University – what Misconduct?
What happens when you make the serious charge of Academic Misconduct at the University of Otago? I decided to find out. In 2015 a doctoral thesis was awarded to one Tammo Reichgelt, under the senior supervision of Associate Professor Daphne Lee of the University of Otago Geology Department. The thesis concerned plant fossils, climate and… Continue reading Academic Misconduct at Otago University – what Misconduct?
How Much Carbon Dioxide was in the Atmosphere of New Zealand’s Jurassic Curio Bay Fossil Forest?
How do you figure out how much carbon dioxide was in the atmosphere millions of years ago? In the Jurassic, the fossil forest at Curio Bay in New Zealand was probably growing in higher latitudes than any forest in the Southern Hemisphere today. The reasons for this will be a combination of altered geography (a… Continue reading How Much Carbon Dioxide was in the Atmosphere of New Zealand’s Jurassic Curio Bay Fossil Forest?
Were there dinosaurs in New Zealand’s Jurassic Fossil Forest at Curio Bay?
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?
New Zealand’s Hawks Crag Breccia – prelude to the drift from Gondwana
The New Zealand road network has some seriously quirky idiosyncrasies – little things we locals take for granted, but can cause some alarm to the ever-increasing number of tourists. There are, for example, hundreds of ‘one lane’ bridges. And about these, I was once asked, in total exasperation by an American “Why don’t you just… Continue reading New Zealand’s Hawks Crag Breccia – prelude to the drift from Gondwana
Beetroot with your Peanut Butter and Marmite? The basic geological structure of New Zealand
New Zealand must be one of the best places on the planet for geology. We are famous among tourists for having so much variety of landscape in such a small area – you don’t have to drive far to see something totally different. This goes for the geology as well. The basic geological structure became… Continue reading Beetroot with your Peanut Butter and Marmite? The basic geological structure of New Zealand