VIDEO: Moments of Time with Dr. Don Lofgren
Sixty million years ago, the northern Mojave Desert was a tropical coastal environment populated by turtles, crocodiles and archaic mammals resembling squirrel-like primates. This evidence was entombed in the fossil-poor Goler Formation 130 miles north of Los Angeles, and it took five decades to unlock this paleontological mystery. The effort was led by Malcolm McKenna ’48, the late world-renowned paleontologist whose career was inspired by Ray Alf. McKenna enlisted a group of die-hard fossil enthusiasts (mostly Webbies) he called the “Goler Club.” After minimal success from 1950-1990, they eventually hit fossil pay dirt in 1999.
Watch the full video below:
About Moments of Time
Moments of Time is a new online series airing on the second Thursday of each month that honors Ray Alf’s passion for science storytelling and features scientists and students from Webb and around the world.