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- 90,000,000 years ago the central part of United States east of the Sierras and west of the Rockies was a swamp land. Utah was more like Louisiana than the deserts we see today.
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-. Of course, the California coast was located in Baja ,Mexico at that time. The drifting continents had a different name and the era was called the Crustacean Period. The drifting continent was called “Laramidia“.
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-. In the Utah desert today scientists are unearthing fossils of plants and animals that are 75,000,000 years old. The continent Laramidia existed for 20,000,000 years. During that time the Earth was warmer and the oceans were higher.
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-. Plants and dinosaurs thrived in this once, swampy, lush, jungle like environment. Not just dinosaurs but, turtles and crocodiles lived along with the horned and duckbilled herbivores.
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-. There were birdlike Teropods.
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-. There were 30 foot Hadrosaurs with jaws containing 800 teeth.
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-. There were rhino-size Triceratops that had 15 horns on their heads.
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- Many of the dinosaurs had horns, spikes, and frills that were not much use against predators. Or, more likely, these adornments were used to impress the opposite sex.
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-. All through Laramidia there was a divergence among the species. Not just due to natural selection, but, more specifically divergence due to sexual selection. Natural selection is concerned with limbs and teeth. Sexual selection is more concerned with peacock tails and moose antlers.
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-. In Laramidia the vegetation was so thick and jungle-like dinosaurs did not need to wander. The result was many species sharing the same small spaces. As divergence occurred two species evolved in different places out of a single species.
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-. Left to themselves each community of animals evolve differently. Plants and animals adapted to different climate zones and different vegetation. When the differences met and no longer recognized each other for mating then two populations have become to species.
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-. Like it or not life got a fresh start.
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-. 60,00,000 years ago this evolution ended with the event of the asteroid smashing into the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. The Earth was encircled by firestorms and dust storms that blocked the Sun for decades killing off the dinosaurs and much of the life in the oceans. Turtles, crocodiles, and a few, small warm-blooded animals survived. After another 50,000,000 years thousands of new species again occupied the Earth. The same evolution of a diversity of species repeated itself.
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-. The human species started out in Africa 1,500,000 thousand years ago. And, some hiked out of Africa into Asia and Australia some 130,000 years ago. Some 50,000 years ago these same wanderers choose a northern route and got into Europe and the Mediterranean seashores.
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-. During this entire time the California coast was creeping north along the San Andreas fault. Rocks that adorn the shorelines of Baja ,Mexico, were now in Bodega, California, just 20 miles from my house. Tectonic plates moving just a few inches per year can cover thousands of miles over tens of millions of years. You may not realize it but these tectonic plates are still inching north in California. An announcement will be made shortly stay tuned.
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- 2 inches per year. 1,000 miles * 5,280 feet per mile * 12 inches per foot = 66,360,000 inches. To mover 1,000 miles takes 31,680,000 years. Come back in 30,000,000 years and Bodega’s rocks will be in Alaska.
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RSVP, with comments, suggestions, corrections. Index of reviews available ---
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---- www.twitter.com , --- 707-536-3272 ---- Thursday, April 24, 2014 ---
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