Hitchcock Ichnological Cabinet
Encyclopedia
The Hitchcock Ichnological Cabinet is a collection of fossil footmarks assembled between 1836 and 1865 by Edward Hitchcock
(1793–1864), noted American geologist
, state geologist of Massachusetts
, USA, and President of Amherst College
.
Begun when the science of ichnology
(the study of tracks) was unknown and made chiefly from the fossils of the Connecticut River
Valley (Connecticut River Valley trackways
), by 1875 this collection consisted of 21,773 tracks representing 120 species
. It is the world's largest collection of dinosaur tracks.
Starting in 1855, the collection was located in the lower level of Appleton Cabinet on the Amherst College campus. It has subsequently been twice relocated, and can now be found in the Amherst College Museum of Natural History.
Edward Hitchcock
Edward Hitchcock was a noted American geologist and the third President of Amherst College .-Life:...
(1793–1864), noted American geologist
Geologist
A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid and liquid matter that constitutes the Earth as well as the processes and history that has shaped it. Geologists usually engage in studying geology. Geologists, studying more of an applied science than a theoretical one, must approach Geology using...
, state geologist of Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, USA, and President of Amherst College
Amherst College
Amherst College is a private liberal arts college located in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. Amherst is an exclusively undergraduate four-year institution and enrolled 1,744 students in the fall of 2009...
.
Begun when the science of ichnology
Ichnology
Ichnology is the branch of geology that deals with traces of organismal behavior, such as burrows and footprints. It is generally considered as a branch of paleontology; however, only one division of ichnology, paleoichnology, deals with trace fossils, while neoichnology is the study of modern traces...
(the study of tracks) was unknown and made chiefly from the fossils of the Connecticut River
Connecticut River
The Connecticut River is the largest and longest river in New England, and also an American Heritage River. It flows roughly south, starting from the Fourth Connecticut Lake in New Hampshire. After flowing through the remaining Connecticut Lakes and Lake Francis, it defines the border between the...
Valley (Connecticut River Valley trackways
Connecticut River Valley trackways
The Connecticut River Valley trackways are the fossilised footprints of a number of Early Jurassic dinosaurs or other archosauromorphs from the sandstone beds of South Hadley, Massachusetts. The finding has the distinction of being the first known discovery of dinosaur remains in North America.A...
), by 1875 this collection consisted of 21,773 tracks representing 120 species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
. It is the world's largest collection of dinosaur tracks.
Starting in 1855, the collection was located in the lower level of Appleton Cabinet on the Amherst College campus. It has subsequently been twice relocated, and can now be found in the Amherst College Museum of Natural History.
See also
- Amherst College Museum of Natural History
- Connecticut River Valley trackwaysConnecticut River Valley trackwaysThe Connecticut River Valley trackways are the fossilised footprints of a number of Early Jurassic dinosaurs or other archosauromorphs from the sandstone beds of South Hadley, Massachusetts. The finding has the distinction of being the first known discovery of dinosaur remains in North America.A...
- Dinosaur State Park
Further reading
- E. Hitchcock, "An attempt to discriminate and describe the animals that made the fossil footmarks of the United States, and especially of New England", American Academy of Arts & Sciences Memoir, 3:129–256. 1848.
- E. Hitchcock, Ichnology of New England: A report on the sandstone of the Connecticut Valley, especially its fossil footmarks, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, 220 pp. 1858.
- E. Hitchcock, Supplement to the Ichnology of New England, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, 96 pp. 1865.
- C. H. Hitchcock, A synopsis of the genera and species of the Lithichnozoa in the Hitchcock Ichnological Museum of Amherst College, unpublished document, Pratt Museum of Natural History, Amherst College, 1859.
External links
- Emma C. Rainforth, researcher on Hitchcock collection