Interesting to note that some of Oregon’s oldest fossils are found at one of the state’s highest elevations — south of Ashland near Siskiyou Summit! And, that most of the fossils found at the I-5 exposures are from an ocean environment. How did that happen???
It may seem a little strange that oceanic fossils are found so far inland from the ocean. In fact, the last thing you expect to find while going for a walk on Mt. Ashland is a bunch of clam shells. However, there is a reasonable explanation… Continue reading ‘Comment Response: Ocean Fossils at Siskiyou Summit? Say What?’
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On Wednesday Dr. Elliot’s geology 103 class went for a field trip. The main focus was on gathering fossil specimens from various locations. The fossils were all found in the Hornbrook formation, contained within Osberger Gulch Sandstone. The rocks were formed during the Cretaceous, which gives them and the fossils an age of approximately 95,000,000 years.
The interpretation is that the sediments were deposited from a beach or shallow marine environment. The abundance of the shells and the broken state of them suggests a high energy environment, so waves must have been present. By far the most common fossils (and original hard parts) were clams and mussels, but gastropods were also present. One lucky student even found a shrimp.
Dr. Elliot and 2 other students climbing a tilted bed of sandstone on the side of Interstate 5, just south of Ashland.
A nice collection taken inches away from a fault that dampened and softened the surrounding sandstone making it easier to collect
Identifying Fossils
One of the many local scorpions we found. We didn’t kill it in hopes that it would die in a depositional environment somewhere and make a nice fossil.
Trying to remove a fossil from the sandstone.
Relic of time.
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We all know that its not a question of if we will be replaced by robots, but when. After looking at a few of these machines, the day may be closer than anyone thought.
Boston Dynamic’s Big Dog
From Boston Dynamic’s web site: “BigDog is the alpha male of the Boston Dynamics family of robots. It is a quadruped robot that walks, runs, and climbs on rough terrain and carries heavy loads. BigDog is powered by a gasoline engine that drives a hydraulic actuation system. BigDog’s legs are articulated like an animal’s, and have compliant elements that absorb shock and recycle energy from one step to the next. BigDog is the size of a large dog or small mule, measuring 1 meter long, 0.7 meters tall and 75 kg weight.”
This thing is as creepy as it is cool. It seems unreal that a machine could exist that appears so lifelike. The only way to really see how impressive it is would be to watch the video. It recovers after being kicked, slips on ice but never falls over, and walks over a pile of bricks. The amount of work put into this dog must be staggering. Check it out:
Robotic Exosuit
This robotic exoskeleton designed by Sarcos gives the wearer superhuman strength. Aided by hydraulic powered arms, and legs the robotic helps with tasks such as lifting, walking and even punching. Sarcos says that later versions will include protective armor that will cover the body, and versions that become autonomous once stepped out of.
The Crusher
Another one of DARPA’s research projects. The “Crusher” is one helluva vehicle that can handle a wide variety of terrain. The machine can be remote controlled or drive itself autonomously. the thing already has a machine gun mounted on top - it will have obvious uses for the military.
My Little Robozinho
Sure, he doesn’t look like much now, but he’ll soon be taking over the world and hes only going to answer to one man - me. Start sending in checks for protection now and you will be spared.
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According to the signs in front of the lawn where all the flags are being planted, every white flag represents 5 dead Iraqis and every red flag represents 5 dead Americans. In total, the flags represent a total of 655,000 dead Iraqis and just under 4,000 dead Americans. Click on the images for a bigger view.
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