[NatureNS] Joggins Fossil Museum celebration/Blue Beach visit

Date: Wed, 13 Apr 2011 21:47:18 -0300
From: "Stephen R. Shaw" <srshaw@dal.ca>
To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca
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Many thanks to several people who replied earlier today with  
suggestions about a possible fossils contact-person at Blue Beach,  
Hantsport. I'll follow this up tomorrow if I get Jenny Clack's  
arrival/departure dates.

Re. my related request for info about a Joggins celebration, I found  
this note below somewhat buried as a Joggins Fossil Centre news  
release, dated March 25th, 2011.  Some of you may be interested enough  
to find a way to attend Professor Clack's presentation in 10 days time  
at the Joggins F.C. at 2 PM, Saturday 23 April (see details copied  
below).  I don't know her personally but she's a world-class expert  
paleontologist on the emergence and early evolution of land  
vertebrates, and apparently is quite gifted also at popular exposition  
to lay audiences: for once you shouldn't expect to be blown away by  
acronyms if you go.

I don't know how big their auditorium is or how many attendees they  
are expecting.  It does not seem to have been widely advertized, and I  
haven't seen it listed recently to this group.

Steve, Halifax
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

An Event 300 Million Years in the Making
The Joggins Fossil Institute is pleased to announce the most important  
fossil ever discovered at the Joggins Fossil Cliffs UNESCO World  
Heritage Site is coming home to Joggins. The fossilized remains of  
Hylonomus lyelli, the earliest occurrence of reptilian life discovered  
and only found at Joggins, is coming home to the Joggins Fossil  
Centre. In 2002, the Nova Scotia House of Assembly declared the 312  
million year old Hylonomus lyelli fossil as Nova Scotia?s Provincial  
Fossil.

Hylonomus lyelli was discovered in a fossilized tree stump at Joggins  
in 1859 by Pictou-born geologist, Sir John William Dawson. Dawson had  
been working closely at the time with Sir Charles Lyell, the founder  
of modern geology, as they had previously discovered fossilized  
remains of other amphibious tetrapods (four-legged creatures) in the  
upright fossilized trees at Joggins. However, Dawson had no idea at  
the time that he had discovered the fossilized remains of the earliest  
occurrence of reptilian life and ancestor to all reptiles (including  
dinosaurs!), mammals (including humans!), and birds. To pay homage to  
Dawson?s close friend and mentor, Sir Charles Lyell, Dawson named the  
find Hylonomus lyelli, which is Greek for ?Lyell?s forest dweller?.  
The fossil is on loan to the Joggins Fossil Centre from the Museum of  
Natural History, London.

Join us on April 23rd at Joggins Fossil Centre for the public  
unveiling of the Hylonomus lyelli exhibit which has been made possible  
through the partnership of the Joggins Fossil Institute with the  
Atlantic Geoscience Society. At 2pm, Cambridge University vertebrate  
palaeontologist Dr. Jenny Clack will be giving a special presentation  
about the significance of this rare fossil. Light refreshments will be  
served following Dr. Clack?s presentation.

Hylonomus lyelli will be on display at the Joggins Fossil Centre from  
April 23rd until October 31st. For directions, costs associated with a  
visit or any additional information about the Joggins Fossil Centre  
and Cliffs, please visit us on the web at www.jogginsfossilcliffs.net,  
email us at info@jogginsfossilcliffs.net, call us toll free at  
1-888-932-9766, or write to us at 100 Main Street, Joggins, NS, B0L 1A0.


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