Pages 133-142

History 8 Environment Bone From a Dry Sea

17. Elements of a dig

18. Define Taphonomist. A taphonomist is a person who studies animal and/or plant remains to determine the process in which they were fossilized. On page 124, Dr. Hamiska tells the others his theory on why the discovered bones appear the way they do. He says that possibly a river ran down the hill and that later there could have been a volcanic eruption. He says that these two events would affect the way the bones were scattered and layered in the silt. He says,"can we from those three points deduce the rest of it?" Sam shows that he doubts the theory and then Dr. Hamiska calls him out, reminding everyone that Sam is a taphonomist, meaning that he should be able to determine if this theory is correct because he studies how the processes in which things become fossils. Sources A Bone from a Dry Sea(124)