Dispatch 5: Vignettes of team members, part 1

We are in Caldera now, and I am seriously backlogged on posts. We've spent some long days in the field, measuring sections and collecting extensively -- I will post more about that very soon. But, for the moment, I want to share some photos of our team members. See captions for more details.  

Jacobus Le Roux, professor of geology at Universidad de Chile, explains the interpretation of a depositional environment at the base of the Bahia Inglesa Formation. Jacobus is a sedimentologist, with extensive experience in South America. Originally from South Africa, Jacobus has done geologic fieldwork around the world, including Antarctica. Jacobus is also a Co-PI on the National Geographic project. Note the helical burrows in rocks of the background; we're still not sure what organism made those. (Photo NDP)

Carolina Gutstein, moments after she discovered a Pliocene dolphin skeleton. She is holding part of the dolphin's ear bones in her hands. CSG is a Research Student at NMNH and a Ph.D. candidate at the Universidad de Chile, completing her dissertation on the morphological evolution of "river dolphins" in South America. Born and raised in Brazil, she is a Co-PI on the project, and she done the lion's share of the field logistics. (Photo NDP)

  

Jim Parham, curator of paleontology at the University of Alabama Museum of Natural History, logs GPS waypoints for field collections in the Bahia Inglesa Formation; Jacobus and his student Catalina stand in the background, atop a small hill (loma). Jim is a specialist in the evolution and biodiversity of reptiles, especially turtles. Jim and NDP met originally in graduate school at UC Berkeley; Jim also introduced NDP to Sharktooth Hill and the wonders of paleontology in California. Together, they recent published a paper describing a new fossil sea turtle from Peru. We'll be hearing more about fossil sea turtles from the Bahia Inglesa Formation. (Photo NDP).

More about other team members soon.

Comments

[Jorge Velez-Juarbe]

NDP wrote: "Note the helical burrows in rocks of the background; we're still not sure what organism made those."

Probably crustaceans, they look like either Thalassinoides isp. or Gyrolithes isp., they also occur in the Venezuelan Neogene (Sánchez-Villagra et al., 2010).

[NDP]

Thanks, JVJ! I'll pass that information along to Jacobus.

[Hermes Kelly]

This is such a beautiful image! Is that what you call Digital Painting? It looks stunning.