Seismosaurus: The Earth ShakerSeismosaurus: The Earth Shaker is a richly illustrated telling of the trials and triumphs of the discovery and excavation of Seismosaurus hallorum, the longest dinosaur yet known - and possibly the largest land animal ever to have lived. This is the first book to explain clearly the science used by paleontologists and the new cutting-edge techniques that led to Seismosaurus's discovery. David Gillette's first-person account of the project answers the most frequently asked questions about Seismosaurus: How was it discovered? How do we know it is a new species? How was it named? And more intriguing still, how did it die? His chronicle also examines the sauropods in general - the giant dinosaurs that with Seismosaurus include Apatosaurus (Brontosaurus), Brachiosaurus, and Diplodocus. This lively tale of discovery is woven with anecdotes and descriptions of the details of the excavation, which began with small jackhammers and later incorporated such sophisticated machinery as ground-penetrating radar that "looks" for fossils underground with radio waves. The story moves from the excavation site in 1985 to current advances in research and then back to the prehistoric age as Gillette, in adventure-narrative style, describes the habitat, habits, and characteristics of the sauropod, right down to Seismosaurus's gastroliths - stomach stones that helped in digestion. Part catalogue of the workings of paleontological science in the 1990s, the book also illustrates the exciting collaboration between David Gillette and the chemists and physicists who helped to reconstruct Seismosaurus and its life. Excavation of the Seismosaurus skeleton was completed in the fall of 1993. Some bones are already ondisplay at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History. Meanwhile, Mark Hallett, a consultant on Steven Spielberg's Jurassic Park, brings Seismosaurus to life in more than eighty marvelous color and black-and-white illustrations. Seismosaurus: The Earth Shaker is a delight! |
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acoustic Alamos Albuquerque Allosaurus anatomy animals Apatosaurus articulated Barosaurus beneath block bone fragment Brachiosaurus burial buried bone Camarasaurus carcass caudal changes chemical chemistry Colorado core Cretaceous crystals digestive tract dino dinosaur dinosaur bones Diplodocidae Diplodocus discovery dorsal vertebrae drilled Dry Mesa quarry Dystylosaurus evidence excavation exposed feet fluorine fossil bone gastroliths genus Ghost Ranch giant Gillette gizzard grit ground hole hydrophones hydroxyapatite ischium late Jurassic layers legs magnetometry ment Mesozoic Mexico million minerals Morrison Formation muscles National Laboratory Natural History neck North America numbers Oak Ridge Ojito Wilderness organic original paleontologists pelvis perhaps polish position predator preservation proteins quartz radar remote sensing reptiles ribs rock Roland sacrum Sam's bones Sam's gastroliths Sam's skeleton sand sandstone saur sauropod dinosaur sauropods saurus scavengers scientists scintillation sediments Seismosaurus Seismosaurus hallorum species stomach stones stream supergiants Supersaurus surface tail vertebrae tebrae teeth tion Triassic troliths Ultrasaurus uranium vertebrae volunteers Wilson Bechtel