Earthwatch Expedition – Spring 2002 “The year of the Herrerasaurus”To this date, the most recent of campaigne for the “Triassic Park Project”, Financed by “EARTHWATCH FOUNDATION” UNSJ Museum staff (including students)Director: Oscar Alcober, Ricardo Martínez, Guillermo Heredia, Carina Colombi, Raul Gordillo, Diego Abel;ín, Analía Illanes, Carolina Jofré, María José Gambina, Angel Praderio, Gustavo Correa, Nicolás Carrizo, Eliana Fernández, Jimena Trotteyn, Maria Eugenia Giuliano, Claudia Díaz, Jorge Castagna and Rita Gomez Earthwatch volunteers: Team I (September 1 to September 13): Elizabeth Browning, Kari Ann Carlson, Stuart Hills, Van Strohm Team II (September 15 to September 27) Monique Cleland, Norman Gardiner, James Mahoney, Louis Tremblay Special invited Guest: Ph.D. Judith Parrish (University of Arizona), Ph.D. Ernesto Martínez, PhD Willy (Balseiro Institute, Argentina), Mònica Pujado and Rodolfo Lomascolo (Spain) Once again, as in various previous campaigns we camped at the entrance of the canyon of Río de la Peña. This sight, one of the best location in the valley offers natural protection from the element as well as being situated in the middle of an incredible rich fossil area. Our objective in this expedition was to continue our exploratory work to the northern zone, where we had worked during the spring campaign of 2001. During this campaign we inaugurated our new multi-purpose tent, which served as a kitchen, library and pantry (32 sq.m.) Setting it up was a great challenge, taking up entire afternoon of work, but it proved to be extremely useful and reliable, truly a superb acquisition for our projects. We began our exploratory work South of our campsite, with the intention of moving northwards. During the first days of prospection some interesting fossils appeared, among those were some vertebrae bodies, including the axis of Herrerasaurus (biped carnivorous dinosaur) intermediate size, normal height, and of a Frenguellisaurus. Some Eoraptor fragments and articulated pelvis of a Saurosuchus were also found. To the North of Agua de la Peña we uncovered a layer of well preserved bones which we presume to have belonged to a Sillosuchus (a biped ancestor of the crocodiles). At the same level the completed articulated skeleton of an Exaeretodon ( mamma-like reptile, closely related to the original mammals)was discovered. This specimen, in a magnificently preserved state, will undoubtedly be one of special interest in our collection and on exhibition. We continued exploring towards the North up to the levels of “El Saltito” resulting with the fantastic findings. Among those are: a cranium of an infant Rhynchosaurus, marvelously preserved, and a few meters away, another cranium of the same size with part of post-cranium attached. The pelvis, part of the column, and the two articulated feet of Herrerasaurus, which were not only extremely well-preserved, but also served as an interesting taphonomy example... (Carina was jumping for joy!). It was also a year of reunions... we re-located a Rhynchosaurus discovered by “Tinto” Jim Mahoney in 1998 which, at that moment, was not extracted... it is now at home, in our Museum. We also re-discovered an Herrerasaurus which were extracting during the 200 campaign, which we all supposed that others had extracted. Thus – to our surprise nobody had extracted it. It remained in the same place along with all of the tools, picks, hammers, chisels and super-glue...finally after two long years, it found its way home to our museum. On the last day of the campaign in Ischigualasto, in the zone we call the Rhynchosaurus Cementery we uncovered the remains of an archosaurus with very strange features. We are positively certain that it cames from a new form, unknown at present. We look advantage of the last week to travel to Mogna, the place of origin of Massospondylus the first dinosaur known to the Lower Jurassic in all of South America. We prospect in this aggressive area where it is constant challenge to keep from sliding. We localized seven species of Massospondylus mognai, one of which has its complete cranium and more important its articulated thorax, which had never been found before in this specie, prosauropods.
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