Wednesday, May 18, 2011

The Captain Marshall Field Expeditions for Vertebrate Paleontology

Noon camp in Arroyo

The Field Museum Library has shared a collection of photographs from the institution's expeditions to South America in the 1920's. The expeditions were undertaken with the goal of finding Cenozoic mammals and comparing them to their northern hemisphere counterparts, but at least a couple dinosaurs popped up, as well. Not just any dinosaurs. Huge dinosaurs. Enormous Argentinian sauropods like Antarctosaurus and Argyrosaurus, which to this day aren't well-understood or studied.

John B. Abbott excavating dinosaur femur
Geology preparator John B. Abbott with Antarctosaurus femur

Argyrosaurus femur in situ
Argyrosaurus femur in situ

Some mammals turned up as well, of course, including Megatherium, Scelidodon, and Panochthus.

Excavation of fossils of Megatherium
Elmer S. Riggs excavates a Megatherium

Excavating skeleton of Scelidodon
Unidentified worker digs up Scelidodon

Robert Thorne at Panochtus skeleton
Robert Thorne with Panochtus, a glyptodont

The bulk of the collection, however, is made up of photos taken during the groups' travels, capturing snapshots of life in Argentina in the '20s. See more.

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