Triassic Dinosaur Tracks

sketchfab

I used photogrammetry to make this model of some Triassic dinosaur tracks I observed in a creek bed while doing field work along the border between Colorado and Oklahoma in 2017. Historically paleontologists would mold/cast of fossil trackways. This has the potential to damage fossil track sites and the practice is discouraged among professionals. Many nonprofessionals still use plaster to mold/cast fossil tracks, an act now considered vandalism when it’s done on public lands in the United States. By using photogrammetry just about anyone can replicate fossil tracks without causing any damage, and with the added benefit of not breaking any laws or having to carry a bunch of water and plaster, which is much heavier than a camera. This article contains a photo showing how using plaster to cast footprints, especially repeatedly, can cause lasting damage. http://www.moabtimes.com/view/full_story/26733677/article-Mulitple-dinosaur-footprints-found-vandalized-at-Bull-Canyon-Tracksite?instance=home_news_2nd_left