Re: Lava and dinosaurs

[Phillip Bigelow <bh162@scn.org>]

The "Blue Lake Rhino", a body cast of a rhino found in a member of the
Columbia River Basalt Group (*not* in ash), was discovered in central
Washington State by hikers.  The depositional environment was of a sandy
river/?lake bottom that was later overrun by a lava stream.  Some fossil
rhino bones were also recovered from the open mold.  Prior to encasement
in the basalt, the rhino had been clearly bloated via decomposition. The
carcass had apparently  floated into a zone of slack water where it was
then covered by the lava (pillow lava).


A short paragraph on the "Blue Lake Rhino" can be read at the Dry Falls
Interpretive Center web site (the second paragraph from the bottom of
the page) at:

http://seattleinsider.com/recreation/1999/04/12/dryfalls.html


A good write-up on the ol' "bloat-'N-float rhino in a rock" can be found
in a past issue of _Washington Geology_, author Keith Kaler (a former
DNR co-worker of mine).  _Washington Geology_ (formerly called
_Washington Geologic Newsletter_) is a publication published by the
Washington State Dept. of Natural Resources, Geology Division.  Sorry, I
don't remember the exact volume, page number, etc.

See also:
Slettebak, Arn. 1981. Recreating the Blue Lake Rhino Cave. Curator 24(
2):89-95.

Beck, George F. 1965. The Blue Lake Rhino. Gems and Minerals 334, p. 25,
35.


                                            <pb>