Our Dynamic Earth

Crylophosaurus

When did dinosaurs walk through Antarctica? What was different in the distant past that made it so giant cold-blooded reptiles could live in and stomp through what is today a snowy, harsh landscape? Delve into our new special exhibit Antarctic Dinosaurs to learn more about the ways our planet has changed over time and how studying these fossils can tell us about our changing climate. The provided activities were designed with 6th-8th grade students in mind but can be adapted to other grades.

Virtual Field Trip of Antarctic Dinosaurs

Today, Antarctica has one of the most extreme and coldest environments. In contrast, pre-historic Antarctica was a lush, thriving environment where dinosaurs roamed through tropical plants. How did this change in Antarctica’s climate happen? How do scientists know it happened? Explore NHMU’s visiting exhibit to answer these questions and discover more about the research being done in Antarctica.

Explore Antarctic Dinosaurs

Activities

The Art of Fossils

Practice paleontological skills to discover what Antarctica looked like millions of years ago.

Discover Antarctica

Utah Climate Stories

Discover the effects of climate change through community connections.

Start Conversing

Communicating Data

Discover and explore the data behind climate change and how to communicate about it.

Dig into Data

Q&A with Paleoclimatologist Dr. Marina Suarez on January 26

Dr. Marina Suarez is an Associate Professor of Geology at the University of Kansas. She studies ancient continental environments to understand Earth’s climate past, especially in deep Earth history such as the Cretaceous Period in the time of the dinosaurs.

Why does Dr. Suarez put acid on rocks? How do sea levels change? See the first fossil Dr. Suarez found at 6 years old and learn how scientists discover dinosaur bones!

Watch The Video

How do we know what Utah's climate was during the time of the dinosaurs? Learn more about how Dr. Suarez researches past environments.

Watch The Video

How does Dr. Suarez study ancient climates? What's stable isotope geochemistry? What's a mass spectrometer and how does Dr. Suarez use one? Learn more about a career that is extremely multi-disciplinary.

Watch The Video