Fossil news

Dr Jim Martin a few years ago was in the Antartica and discovered fossils that dated some 60-70 million years go. Recently Dr. Martin and several others returned from Antartica with the bones of a baby plesiosaur they had recovered from that continent. On December 13th the three were honored by the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology at the Museum of Geology with the presentation of the Department of Defense Antartica Service Medal. Dr. Martin, Dr. John Sawyer, and Mr. Wayne Thompson were honored by the National Science Foundation Antartica Research Expeditions.

Don Roosa and I attended the recognition for Dr. Martin's discovery of Anartica fossils at the School of Mines some years ago. Don, Herb Coe and I discovered a mosasaur along the Missouri at Iona about 1958. The School of Mines under the direction of Harold Martin and Dr. Green from the Museum of Geology excavated this twenty foot specimen and brought it back to the basement in the Museum. The Museum has the skeleton of a long-necked plesiosaur from Salzman's flat along the Missouri River near Iona and it is the main exhibit in the Museum of Geology.

The baby plesiosaur, Salzman plesiosaur, and mosasaur were living in about the same 60-70 million year period: Cretacious.

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