 |
 Ichthyornis
dispar was
a remarkably bird-like animal that lived in North
America during the Late Cretaceous, 95-85 million
years ago. Looking much like a modern seagull, Ichthyornis
was about 2 feet long and weighed about 5 pounds;
it differed from all modern birds by having sharp
teeth, and a combination of vertebrae similar to
some modern fish. |
 Mosasaurs
were marine reptiles that lived in
most of the world's oceans and shallow seas
during the late Cretaceous Period, 70-65 million
years ago. It is believed that mosasaurs were
distant ancestors of the monitor lizards (such as
the Komodo dragon) of today. |
 Benjamin
Franklin Mudge served as the first
Kansas State Geologist and published the first Geology of Kansas. An avid
collector of fossils, he discovered at least 80
new species of extinct animals and plants,
including Ichthyornis, the first
"bird with teeth." |
 Thescelosaurus
neglectus
"neglected marvelous lizard," was a
moderately-sized herbivorous dinosaur that roamed
western North America during the late Cretaceous
Period, 75-65 million years ago. It was so named
because the type specimen was not described until
20 years after being found. |
 Charles
Francis Richter co-developed a
method for measuring earthquake intensity that
accurately reflected earthquake strength. The
Richter Scale, which was published in 1935, used
a seismograph to record actual earth motion
during an earthquake. |
 Agate
forms when silica in
solution seeps into a cavity in lava and hardens
in successive layers. Chemically it consists of
silicon and oxygen, SiO2. |
 The Mohole Project
drilled a hole down to the boundary between the
earth's crust and mantle. Doing so would, it was believed, provide a concrete
check on theories about the age, origin, and
composition of the earth. |
 Pterosaurs
"flying
lizards," were flying reptiles that lived
during the age of dinosaurs. Some were as small
as sparrows, while others were as large as an
airplane. They had large brains, long tails,
short necks, and long, narrow wings. |
