Page 28 - 1970S

26
became quickly apparent that the in–
vestigators had ruo upon a most amaz–
iog find.
The workers cut a large scallop ioto
the hillside. "As the ]ayer was exposed
it revealed a most REMARKABLE DINO·
SAURIAN GRAVEYARD in which there
were literally scores of skeletons one on
top of another and INTERLACED WfTH
one another. It would appear that sorne
local catastrophe had overtaken these di–
nosaurs, so that they all died together
and were buried together" (Men and
Dinoscum, Edwin Colbert, p. 141).
lo what cond ition were they found?
"They were found in the GREATEST
PROFUSION, pilcd on top of one an–
other, with heads and tails and feet and
legs often inextricably mixed in a jack–
straw puzzle of bones."
Overwhelmed by Catastrophe
Sorne of the skeletons were absolttfely
complete. Even the tiniest bones sur–
vived. These finds are rated as among
the most perfect dinosaur skeletons ever
discovered.
"They represent a range of ages,
from very small animals to those ob–
viously fully adult. All of this rich ma–
terial, coming from a single quarry that
was perhaps thirty feet square, certainly
indicates the remaius of animals belong–
ing to a single species that may have
been OVERWHEU\1ED BY SOME
LOCAL CATASTROPHE AND BUR–
IED TOGETHER" (Dinosmtrs, Edwin
Colbert, p. 61).
The fact that these fossils were per–
fectly preserved shows they had to be
buried IMMEDIATELY - before pred–
ators and weathering destroyed the
skeletons.
The composition of the fossils shows
a complete range of a single species, as
one might find a herd of some wild ani–
mal. lt is obvious that a CATASTROPHE
bmied those animals.
Just a "Local" Catastrophe?
But, was it only a "local catas–
trophe"? This might be a logical deduc–
tion if such graveyards were found no–
where else. However, the reverse is true.
No matter where we look, almost in–
variably we see indication of violent
burial for dinosaurs.
In fact, whenever we see fossils of
1·he PLAIN TRUTH
anything from marine invertebrates to
marrunals - this suddeo, and violent
type of burial is dearly evident.
The dinosaurs are merely an out–
standing case of this.
For example, there is a rich bed of
fossil dinosaurs in Alberta, Canada.
Here is one of the most RICHLY fossilif–
erous regions in the world for dinosaur
bones.
How are these bones found ?
"Innumerable bones and many fine
skeletons of dinosaurs and other associ–
ated reptiles have been quarried from
these badlands, particularly in the
ii.fteen-mile stretch of the river to the
east of Steveville, a stretch that is a veri–
table DINOSAURIAN GRAVEYARD" (The
Age of Reptiles, Edwin Colbert, p.
169).
Dinosaur <Jraveyards
Another example comes from a 1934
discovery.
Barnum Brown, famous dinosaur dis–
coverer, was collecting bones in Mon–
tana. He heard of large bones on the
ranch owned by a man named Barker
Howe> who lived at the foot of the Big–
horn Mountains in Wyoming.
Edwin Colbert tells us in what condi–
tion Brown found the bones as he
began to work the area of the Howe
Ranch.
' 'The conceotration of the fossils was
remarkable; they were piled in LIKE
LOGS IN A JAM" (Mm and Dinosat.trs,
Edwin Colbert, p. 173) .
If this were an isolated case, it might
perhaps be explained as a fluke of na–
ture or a "local" catastrophe. But this
example is just one of many.
Such destruction, such mixing up,
such concentration could only come by
catastrophe!
A Profusion of Skeletons
In another case, somewhat earlier,
bone diggers were making exploratory
excursions into the Medicine Bow anti–
cline, a ridge that contains what are
called Morrison sedimeots- somewhat
north of Como Bluff, Wyoming. The
Morrison formation is known as a tre–
mendous source of dinosaur fossils
throughout Western North America.
In the general area north of Como
Bluff, on Jnoe 12, 1898, the famous
J anuary, 1970
Bone Cabin quarry was located. It was
named after an old sheepherder who
had built a cabin out of dinosaur bones
he found in the area.
Here is what the bone diggers found.
"At this spot the fossil hunters found
a hillside literally covered with large
fragments of d.inosaur bones that had
weathered out of the sediments com–
posing the ridge ... the party went to
work, digging clown into the surface of
the hill, and as they dug, more and
more bones came to light. In short, it
was a veritable MINE OF DJNOSAUR
BONES" (Men and Dinosat~rs, Edwin
Colbert, p. 151).
Another author gives us more details
into what was actually discovered.
"In the Bone-Cabin Quarry ... we
carne across a veritable Noah's-ark de–
posit, a perfect museum of all the ani–
mals of the period.
"Here are the largest of the giant di–
nosams closely mingled with the re–
mains of the smaller but powerful car–
nivorous dinosaurs wh.ich preyed upon
them, also those of the slow and heavy
moving armored dinosaurs of the pe–
riod, as well as of the lightest and most
bird-like of the dinosaurs.
"Finely rounded, complete limbs
from eight to ten feet in length are
found, especially those of the carniv–
orous dinosaurs, perfect even to the
sharply pointed and recurved t.ips of
their toes" (Dinosattrs, W. D. Mat–
thew, pp. 136, 138).
Again, immediate burial was neces–
sary for such perfect preservation. It is
as if a complete biota - an entire range
of animals - were buried together by
water-borne mud.
Digging Dinosaurs in Africa
Ooe of the most important paleon–
tological expeditions was the 1909-
1914 one to what was then German East
Africa, now Tanzania.
"The site contained an ENOR~ous
NUMBER of fossils - far more than
could be carried off by one expedition.
As in most of such sites, the greater part
of the remains were fragmentary .. .
there was much speculation as to how
the remains of so many dinosaurs carne
to be CONCENTRATED in beds otherwise
rather pool' in fossil remains. Sorne Ger-