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VIPS presents: January 15, 2023: Dr. Grant Zazula – Woolly Mammoths Remains from the Yukon & Extinct Arctic Mammals

Join us for a talk by Dr. Grant Zazula on January 15, 2023 at 2 PM PST to hear about his excavation of Woolly Mammoth remains along the Indian River and his work at the Beringia Interpretive Centre. We’ll learn what the DNA of extinct Arctic mammals can tell us about their lives and environment.

There is no need to register for this free VIPS Lecture.

Simply click on the Zoom link at www.fossiltalksandfieldtrips.com on the day of the talk to enter the lecture.

VicPS presentation Jan 11: Hydrothermal Vents: Life in the Absence of Sunlight

Please join the Victoria Palaeontology Society in welcoming our first speaker for 2023:

Moronke Harris, Graduate Student, Oceanography, University of Victoria

who will speak on the subject Hydrothermal Vents: Life in the Absence of Sunlight on Wednesday, January 11th, 2023 at 07:30 PM PST.

Moronke Harris studies life in the absence of light, over 1,000 m below the ocean’s surface. In particular, she studies microbial communities around hydrothermal vents and their eroding mineral deposits. Her research will inform discussions about the loss of biodiversity that may result from deep-sea mining at hydrothermal sites and the resource potential of microbial biopharmaceuticals. In addition to her academic pursuits, Moronke is a science-communication enthusiast and avid visual artist.

Ms. Harris joins us complements of the University of Victoria Speakers Bureau.

VicPS members will have received an email with instructions and links to join this January 11 Zoom presentation.

VicPS presentation: Marine Phytoplankton

A reminder of this week’s online presentation, “Marine Phytoplankton:  Diversity, Ecology and Ecosystem Services in Changing Oceans“, by Shea Wyatt, Graduate Student Department of Biology, University of Victoria.

Wednesday, Nov 9th, from 7:30 – 9:00 PM

To attend, VicPS members please check your email for connection details. Non-members, please contact vicpalaeo@gmail.com ASAP requesting access to this presentation.

Image courtesy of http://bios.edu/currents/canadian-students-at-bios-finish-successful-research-internships

VANPS presentation: “Mosasaurs, Great Sea Monsters of the Cretaceous”

Another online event to add to your calendar this week, “Mosasaurs, Great Sea Monsters of the Cretaceous”, will be presented by Brennan Martens, VANPS member, PaleoDude and palaeontologist-in=training.

Thursday, Nov 10th, from 6:30 to 8:30 PM.

To attend, VicPS members please check your email for connection details. Non-members, please contact vicpalaeo@gmail.com ASAP requesting access to this presentation.

Image courtesy https://www.deviantart.com/brennanthepaleodude/gallery/all

Prof. Shahin Dashtgard blogs on geology

Professor Shahin Dashtgard, P. Geo of SFU now has a blog at www.whattherock.ca to make geology more accessible to those who are interested in it. This was undertaken in response to his recent talk to the VPS and several emails he’s received recently asking geological and palaeontological questions.

With only three posts so far, he’s just getting started. With two of those posts about Vancouver Island, and plans to add a few on the Nanaimo Group, his writings should be of interest and instruction to our VicPS members.

VicPS Speaker Wed Oct 12th: Storm Impacts in Coastal Environment

Many of our fieldtrip sites are on the margins of shallow seas.  Some are turbidite flows associated with landslides in offshore submarine slopes and canyons.  Might evidence of ancient storms also be captured in the strata? 

Studying the present can provide clues to the past.  On Wednesday evening please join VicPS as we welcome Dr. David Atkinson, Assistant Professor, Department of Geography, University of Vitoria, who will share with us how storms impact coasts. 

Drawing from his work in the Arctic, Dr. Atkinson will demonstrate how the nature of the coast – water depth, type of beach material, coast shape – affects storm impact, and how features like sandbars and rip-currents work.

The presentation will be followed by a Q&A of Dr. Atkinson’s work, and a discussion of what the fingerprints of ancient storms might look like in the strata we encounter on our fieldtrips. I will share photos from several of our recent field sites to supplement the post-presentation discussion.

Paid VicPS members will have received an email with the Zoom meeting connection details. Non-members may request attendance by emailing vicpalaeo@gmail.com well in advance of 7:30 pm October 12th 2022.

Also, Oct 12th is National Fossil Day USA, and to recognize the occasion you are encouraged to reach into your collections and bring forward your favourite find to share with the group. National Fossil Day was established in 2010 by the USA National Parks Service to promote the scientific and educational value of fossils.