Science Updates and Landscape Paintings of the Dig Site
In July 2011, the Denver Museum of Nature & Science
completed its largest-ever fossil excavation at Ziegler Reservoir
near Snowmass Village. The preserved series of Ice Age fossil
ecosystems is one of the most significant fossil discoveries ever
made in Colorado. Over the past four months, work on the
Snowmastodon Project™ has gone on behind-the-scenes as the Museum
continued to preserve and curate the fossils, launched a thorough
scientific analysis of the site and commissioned a series of
paintings that show the site during various time periods.
SCIENTISTS OFFER NEW INSIGHT
A team of international scientists has been hard at work over
the past several months to begin analysis of this historic
discovery.
"We are in the early stages of scientific study and plan to
continue offering updates on our progress," said Dr. Kirk Johnson,
vice president of the Research and Collections Division at the
Museum. "There are now more than 40 scientists investigating
various aspects of the site and new data is pouring in
daily."
Individuals from the Snowmastodon Project™ science team revealed
the following new information at two recent national science
conferences:
- Growing Animal Species Count-Now 41: The list
of different species from the site continues to grow. In addition
to seven large mammal species-mammoth, mastodon, Jefferson's ground
sloth, camel, deer, horse, and giant bison-the site has yielded an
additional 34 species, including trout, salamanders, shrews, bats,
weasels, river otters, rabbits, frogs (4 species), snakes (2
species), lizards (2 species), birds (5 species), and rodents (14
species, including beavers, muskrats, voles, lemmings, mice,
gophers, chipmunks, and ground squirrels).
- Mastodon Entrapment Theory: Scientists are
testing a hypothesis that the more than 30 mastodons uncovered at
the site were trapped there in lake sediments that transformed into
quicksand during an earthquake or series of quakes.
"Evidence such as the nature of the debris flow deposits, the
condition of the bones, and the distribution of the bones may
support this scenario," said Johnson. "Ultimately we use many
types of data to test more than one hypothesis. This site is
really complicated and this work is just beginning."
LANDSCAPE PAINTINGS DEPICT THE SITE OVER TIME
World-renowned painter and muralist Jan Vriesen has completed a
series of five paintings of the Ziegler Reservoir landscape. The
paintings are acrylic on canvas, each measures 38" by 57", and they
represent five different times:
- About 130,000 years ago, after the formation of the lake basin
by a glacier that spilled out of Snowmass Creek Valley
- About 120,000 years ago, when the area was dominated by
mastodon, giant ground sloths, and bison
- 60,000 to 45,000 years ago, when the area was dominated by
mammoth, camels, and deer
- November 15, 2011, as the first phase of fossil excavation was
concluding
- Summer 2012, after the dam was completed and Ziegler Reservoir
was filled
"Jan was at the site in November and June and we worked together
so he could create these amazing landscape paintings that integrate
geology, paleobotany, and vertebrate paleontology," said Johnson.
"These visual representations are important tools in helping
us show how this site evolved over time. All of the paintings
are made from the same vantage point, from the north side of the
lake looking south with the Snowmass ski area visible to the left
and the Snowmass Creek Valley and Mount Daly visible to the
right."
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Science Updates and Landscape Paintings of the Dig Site
November 10, 2011
Over the past four months, work has gone on behind-the-scenes as
the Museum continues to preserve and curate the fossils, launched a
thorough scientific analysis of the site, and commissioned a series
of paintings that show the site during various time periods.
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