Students: James McDaniel, Luke Whitenburg, Jacob Moore & Rick Shaw made this project
Abstract: Research was conducted on Ladonia Fossil Park at the North Sulphur River (NSR) bridge. Prominent geologic features in the form of sedimentary cliffs, fluvial erosion and weathering, biological weathering, fossil deposition, and mud cracks were found. Notably, the Ozan Formation from the Late Cretaceous Period contains fossils from its claystone shale riverbed. Cretaceous fossils found in this area are Baculites, Mosasaur, Plesiosaur fossils including bones, teeth, and vertebrae. Cretaceous shark teeth and vertebrae, Didymoceratoides cast, devil toenails, and other fossilized casts and imprints were present. Other fossils are pyritized. Using drones, including the DJI Phantom 4, DJI Phantom 4 RTK, and the DJI Mavic Mini 2, imagery of the cliffs, bed, erosion, and geologic features were captured. The 3D images captured using the Pix4DCapture app can be used to create drone derived three-dimensional and two-dimensional orthomosaic digital images. Drones can provide useful data to geologists when needing to capture digital images, videos, three-dimensional models, digital elevation models, and multispectral digital images.
This poster was presented at the 125th annual meeting for Texas Academy of Science in 2022.
You can find the Program for that meeting here: https://www.texasacademyofscience.org/past-meetings