At 42 years young, I’m barely approaching what Isaac Asimov called “middle youth,” so I don’t feel much like a fossil. But the fossil record fascinates me, and I explore it in as many ways as I know how:
- Astronomy is one method of time travel. The visible surface of the moon is billions of years old in most places, and “only” hundreds of millions in others (the “young” craters Copernicus and Tycho, for example). Closer in time, but much farther away in distance, the light we see from M31, the Andromeda Galaxy, is two million years old by the time it reaches us. Other astronomical objects are similarly “fossilized.”
- I read about dinosaurs as much as I can.
- Bird watching while keeping evolutionary history in mind is one way of exploring the living fossil record; phylogenetic relationships are a way of reconstructing the distant past by looking at existing animals.
Florida doesn’t have much in the way of dinosaurian fossil records, because it was mostly underwater in dinosaur days. But it does have a rich marine fossil record, with fossilized shells in almost every canal and road cut you care to look at. It also has mammals and even the occasional bird fossil for paleontologists to enjoy.
Part of Earth Science week (October 9-15), National Fossil Day is an opportunity to get out into our public lands and explore our natural history.
On October 13, paleontologists and park rangers will share fossil discoveries at special events nationwide and explain the importance of preserving fossils where they are found, so that everyone can share a sense of discovery!
They will also
Celebrate the wonderful diversity of fossils as clues for understanding the history of life, past climates, and ancient landscapes;
Promote the understanding that fossils are non-renewable resources and the importance of preserving fossils for future generations;
Highlight the science-based management of fossils on public lands;
Encourage paleontologists to participate in outreach activities at local schools, parks, museums and similar settings throughout the United States;
Establish partnerships between professional organizations, government agencies and other groups to promote the scientific and educational values of fossils;
[…]
Promote awareness of the paleontological resources, programs, services, and expertise of the National Park Service.
Go, NPS!