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cont'd
Camp 2: First
Days
What we are doing at
Camp 2 is relatively "coarse" prospecting.
We look at the map and pick a spot that
overlaps what we were able to cover the
day before. We drive to a pre-selected point,
get out, and plan to meet back at a designated
time. We each choose our direction and begin
walking, keeping an eye on the ground.
After each prospecting
session, team members
gather to compare discoveries.
In addition to water,
people usually carry the tool of choice:
a paintbrush. Many people also carry an
awl, a dental tool, a small canvas bag for
isolated fossils (single bones or teeth)
that can be surface collected (picked up
with out causing damage to the fossil.)
If you find something good - a single bone
that is well preserved, a skull, a series
of bones belonging to one animal, or an
articulated skeleton - you mark it by building
a cairn of rocks, and the group returns.
We cover large swaths
of outcrop on foot, patch by patch, to get
a sense of how rich the area is. Most outings
last an hour or two. When we return, we
gather to summarize what we've found and
how far we've walked.
"I made it to the far
edge of the outcrop."
"I got to the three
trees on the horizon."
"It seemed the richest
right in the center of the formation."
"I found a Sarcosuchus
skull, but it's pretty eroded."
"I found a nice turtle
with the carapace (top shell), but I think
we have a better specimen from Camp 1."
"There's a pretty nice
series of vertebrae with ribs and a pelvic
bone, but I don't know what animal it's
from."
A simple
paintbrush, capable of gently sweeping sand
off
delicate fossils, is the tool of choice
during prospecting.
If anyone has brought
a specimen back it is given a site number,
labeled, wrapped and put in the collection
box until we get back to camp.
After the summary we
head off to look at the finds that either
need identification or that might be worth
collecting. At each spot we take a GPS (longitude
and latitude) reading, give the site a number
and mark it on the map in red.
Rudd's choice
to put his cot on top of a dune makes for
a spectacular view of the desert at sunrise.
After two days in the
area prospecting seems good, but the next
few days will be telling. The results here
will impact not only what we collect, but
the field schedule overall. If the area
is rich, we will need to spend more time
here - possibly at the expense of spending
less time someplace else.
Gabrielle
Lyon
Team Member, 2000 Expedition to Niger.
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