top of page

Catch up on the latest news and articles

Movie Talk

Paleo-Artist of the week

Joshua Ballze

Click here to view his website.

Click the image below for more of his work.

Jurassic Jabber

Video Game!

mobile version not yet available

Video of the week:
Attenborough and the Giant Sea Monster
Narrated by Sir David Attenborough
To see more videos click here.

PaleoArtist-JoshuaBallze.jpg
Dino-Ad.jpg
Attenborough GiantSeaMonster2023

Attenborough GiantSeaMonster2023

Play Video

4.5 billions years of global changes

Planet Earth doesn't have a birth certificate to record its formation, which means scientists spent hundreds of years struggling to determine the age of the planet. So, just how old is Earth?

By dating the rocks in Earth's ever-changing crust, as well as the rocks in Earth's neighbors, such as the moon and visiting meteorites, scientists have calculated that Earth is 4.54 billion years old, with an error range of 50 million years.

TimelineBrittanica.jpg

Take A Trip Through Time

A Perspective of Time

If you were to break down the history of life on earth into the 12 hours of a clock, human beings would only arrive on the scene 4 seconds before the clock truck 12. The paleozoic and mesozoic eras would not show up until 10 and 11.

history of life as we know it.jpg
tectonic-plate-map-on-transform-plate-bo
sedimentary-rocks-formation-process.png
unnamed.png

Back To The Earth

 

Like solid rock, magma is a mixture of minerals. It also contains small amounts of dissolved gases such as water vapor, carbon dioxide, and sulfur. The high temperatures and pressure under Earth’s crust keep magma in its fluid state.

There are three basic types of magma: basaltic, andesitic, and rhyolitic, each of which has a different mineral composition. All types of magma have a significant percentage of silicon dioxide. Basaltic magma is high in iron, magnesium, and calcium but low in potassium and sodium. Harsh weather carries the minerals back to rivers and oceans which is then absorbed and transferred back to the mantle.

Tectonic Plate Movement

 

The movement of the plates creates three types oftectonic boundaries: convergent, where plates move into one another; divergent, where plates move apart; and transform, where plates move sideways in relation to each other. Resulting in Subduction, Lateral Sliding, and Spreading. 

READ MORE...

Read More
Read More
Read More

Sediment Layers

Sedimentary rocks are types of rock that are formed by the accumulation or deposition of small particles and subsequent cementation of mineral or organic particles on the floor of oceans or other bodies of water at the Earth's surface.

Sedimentary rocks cover most of the Earth's rocky surface, but the only make up a small percentage of the Earth's crust. Every layer of sediment contains the rocks and minerals of different time periods. The most popular and most recognizable sediment layer is the K-pg boundary line. A black layer marking the end of the dinosaurs containing sulfur, volcanic rock and iridium (meteorite fragments)

Fossil.png

Fossilization is extremely rare and only a small fraction of the plants and animals that have lived in the past 600 million years are preserved as fossils. 99% of all animals that have ever lived did't fossilize. This may be surprising, considering the millions of fossils that have been collected over the years, and the many billions still in the rocks. Those plants and animals that do become fossils generally undergo, with some exceptions, several key steps.

 

First, the soft tissue that exists during life decays leaving behind only the "hard parts" (bone, shell, teeth). Second, hard parts may be transported and broken. This causes the fossilized remains to be incomplete representations of the living animal. It is much more common to find a fragment of shell or bone than it is to find a complete skeleton. Third and most important, hard tissues become buried and altered. In most cases this involves destroying the original material from which the hard parts were made as minerals are slowly dissolved and replaced by new ones. Often times a hard part is dissolved without being replaced by new material, leaving behind only an impression or mold of the original animal. If this mold is filled with sediment that is later cemented into rock it will make a cast of the original animal.

Image by Nathan Hale

Fossilization Process

Understanding Earth's Changes

Over 500 million years of evolution.

Incredible Fossil Discoveries

Know Your Paleontologists

This site is for all ages and is dedicated to the love of the prehistoric world. I also travel to schools and museums to educate kids and their families in hopes to broaden their imaginations. The love for dinosaurs help children expand their minds to things beyond the limitations of what you can only see in front of you. expanding your imagination and dreams will help them for the rest of their lives. I would appreciate any contribution you can make to help me keep this site going and continue to educate young minds. Even if it's just a couple dollars.

Thank you

-Ben

PayPal ButtonPayPal Button
bottom of page