I have been working in Montana since 1986, when I began my master’s thesis at the University of Montana. I just can’t seem to leave it behind. Most of my efforts have been focused in two stratigraphic units – the Two Medicine Formation in northwestern Montana, and the Judith River Formation in north-central Montana. I have worked on a variety of projects over the years, ranging from the taphonomy of dinosaur bonebeds to the sequence stratigraphy of nonmarine and marginal marine depositional systems. Along the way I have also had the opportunity to collect and date a few key bentonite beds. In recent years I have been working with my colleague Henry Fricke (Colorado College) and my students on microfossil bonebeds, with an emphasis on isotopic and diagenetic studies. I have also collaborated with my students on projects that focus on bonebed formation and the geochemical fingerprinting of altered ash beds. My research in Montana has been funded by a variety of sources over the years, most recently the National Science Foundation.

Macalester News Feature: Dino Digging

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