On Saturday October 8th, I went out into the field with Dr. Tyler and her class of undergraduate students. We visited the Brookville Causeway and the South Gate localities in Indiana. While Dr. Tyler led her students through the locality information, I was tasked with collecting abundance data from the Liberty formation from the causeway and both the Liberty and Whitewater formations at South Gate.
Highlights of the trip:
- Collected some great fossils
Both the Liberty and Whitewater formations had numerous fossils. The Liberty formation had nicer fossils overall, but I did find a very large gastropod in the Whitewater (pictured below). I hope to get some of these samples back after the project is over.
- Helped students with questions and identification
Acting as a pseudo-TA, I was able to help the students with their assignment. They sometimes needed help with identification of organisms or had questions concerning the formation as a whole. I enjoyed helping them and I think I was able to help the TAs with addressing student concerns. Pictured below are the students searching the South Gate locality for fossils.
Overall, I enjoyed the trip and I think the students did too. I was able to collect four filled five-gallon buckets with abundance samples. I am happy to finally be out in the field again and to continue work towards my project.
Ancient Ecosystem 