EES Guest Speaker - Dr. Ryan Shell

This week’s seminar speaker is Dr. Ryan Shell. Please join us Friday, Match 20th, 2026 at 12:30 pm in room 304 NatSci.

Talk title: Paleontology on Michigan's Federal Lands: Unsolved Mysteries

 

Lands owned by the US federal government in the state of Michigan consist of large tracts owned by the Department of Defense, National Park Service and US Forest Service. Areas owned by latter agency are divided into the Ottawa, Hiawatha, and Huron-Manistee National Forests. The histories of rocks and sediments in these three regions span broad swaths of Proterozoic, Paleozoic, and Cenozoic Eras. In this lecture, we will discuss what is not known about the paleontology of these three forests rather than what is known. Each ‘unsolved mystery’ will feature specific areas or sites on USFS land, its geological and paleontological history, and research needs that would likely lead to additional paleontological discoveries. Along the way, the federal government’s definition of a “paleontological resource” according to the Paleontological Resources Protection Act of 2009 will be explained. With luck, the audience will come away with a deeper understanding of the Michigan Basin’s paleontology as well as what might lie just beyond its current frontiers.