National Fossil Day 2014

Here in the States, the leaves are turning color, the GSA/SVP conference season is at the doorstep, and National Fossil Day is upon us. This event occurs on the Wednesday of Earth Science Week, fittingly enough, which this year is the 15th. National Fossil Day includes a number of local events across the country, although not all of them are on Wednesday; for example, in the Twin Cities, early readers might be able to catch a fossil and geology event at Coldwater Spring from 9 to noon on Saturday the 11th (and the weather's looking good, too, which is a bonus for mid-October in Minnesota; last year we held a fossil and geology walk the Saturday after National Fossil Day, and just after we finished we had a downpour of ice pellets). If you're unable to get to Coldwater Spring, are busy that day, or would prefer an indoor event, the Science Museum of Minnesota is holding Fossil Day on Saturday the 18th. Of course, there are also plenty of places along the bluffs if you'd just like to spend some time among the fossils in their natural setting before it gets too cold. The flagship events are held in Washington, D.C. In previous years events were held on the National Mall, but because of construction they have been shifted to the National Museum of Natural History. If you're in D.C., I also recommend checking out the building stone as you're walking around; the city has an excellent fossil record on display.

You might think this is an armored dinosaur, but it's actually an aetosaur, a Triassic offshoot of the group that includes crocodilians. The story behind the logo can be found here.