Adventure

A large team of paleontologists, geologists, archeologists, scientists, and explorers has made some groundbreaking finds in the Gobi Desert of Mongolia. The team, which operated under the Institute of Paleontology and Geology of Mongolian Academy of Sciences (IPG) and the Explorers Club Hong Kong Chapter, spent 20 days in the desert following a revised version of the same route taken by famed explorer Roy Chapman Andrews nearly a century ago. In doing so, they uncovered some unique fossils and discovered as many as three new species of dinosaurs along the way.

While three weeks on a paleontology dig in the Gobi Desert may not seem like a long time, the team made the most of their days in the field. Over that period they uncovered more than 250 fossil locations, including five that were previously altogether unknown. At those sites they discovered hundreds of fossilized bones, including those of mammals that weren't previously known to have existed in the present day location of the Gobi.

Among the key finds were the leg of an ostrich-like dinosaur believed to be over 65 million years old, an intact turtle fossils from 70 million years ago, and the tooth of a tarbosaurus that measured more than 10 cm (4 inches) in length. The tarbosaur is believed to be one of the largest carnivorous dinos to ever wander this region, measuring some 8 meters (26 feet) in length, standing 5 meters (16 feet) in height, and weighing more than six tons.

The first site on the expedition's hit list was also the first explored by Roy Chapman Andrews back in 1922. Andrews was an explorer who led expeditions for the American Museum of Natural History, with his adventures in the Gobi being most memorable and dramatic. From 1922 to 1930 he explored the desert using some of the first motorized vehicles in Mongolia, with support from large camel caravans. Along the way, he made major discoveries regarding the dinosaurs that once wandered the area, uncovering hundreds of fossils and revealing new species.
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Posted by Kraig Becker at 10:00 AM No comments:
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Labels: Dinosaurs, Exploration, Explorers Club, History, Mongolia, Paleontology
Karakoram Summer 2018: Weather Improves Allowing Teams to Climb at Last

It has been a challenging couple of weeks on the big peaks in the Pakistan. The weather has been less than cooperative due to heavy snowfall on K2, Broad Peak, Nagna Parbat, and the Gasherbrums, leaving most of the teams stranded in Base Camp while they wait for better conditions. But over the past day or two, things have improved slightly, allowing some progress to be made. And while more snow is in the forecast, the climbers are taking advantage of this weather window while they can.

On Broad Peak, Furtenbach Adventures reports that they've seen two days of relatively good weather, allowing them to start moving up the mountain again. They waited for things to settle a bit before proceeding upwards, but it now looks like the team is heading up to Camp 1 and most likely proceeding on to C2 shortly there after.

Fredrik Sträng is also on Broad Peak as a warm-up climb for K2. He came within 17 meters (55 feet) of the summit last year and would like to knock this mountain off before he moves on to his main objective. He and his team went up to Camp 1 yesterday amidst mostly good weather, but conditions deteriorated later in the day and another 8 inches (20 cm) of snow was deposited on the mountain. The initial plan was to reach Camp 3, but they are back in BC now.
Madison Mountaineering is reporting a similar experience on K2, where things have also improved immensely. The team is preparing to launch its first acclimatization rotation tomorrow, but the Sherpas are heading up to C2 today and will begin fixing ropes to Camp 3 tomorrow. Typically, the squad should have already done its first rotation, and possibly even its second by now. But even though they are behind schedule, there is still time to get ready for late-July/early-August summit bids.