Spring 2022

 

Speaker:	Patrick Druckenmiller, UAF Museum of the North
Title:	"60 years of paleontology in the Prince Creek Formation of Arctic Alaska: Where are we at?"
Date:	March 18, 2022
Time:	3:30 pm
Location:	Reichardt room 202 and via Zoom

Abstract:
It was just over 60 years ago that geologist Robert Liscomb found the first dinosaur bones on Alaska’s North Slope. However, at the time of discovery the bones were thought to be mammalian, and it took another two decades before the remains were correctly recognized as being dinosaurian. The recognition of dinosaurs existing in polar latitudes surprised the scientific community and forced paleontologists to rethink dinosaurs in terms of their physiology, behavior and life history strategies. The Prince Creek Formation has since cemented its role in these discussions as the preeminent polar dinosaur unit in the world. In this presentation I will provide a brief overview of where we are at and how ongoing work in the formation continues to reshape our understanding of these Arctic denizens.