LDR                         
022    _a1935-3952
100    _aKing, Christopher
245    _aRemote sensing applied to paleontology: Exploration of upper cretaceous sediments in Kazakhstan for potential fossil sites
260    _bSociety for Vertebrate Paleontology
260    _c2009
362    _a2
362    _a12
520    _aHere we show that low-cost analysis of satellite image data (derived from Landsat ETM+) can be used efficiently for the ‘remote prospecting’ of a large field area, in this test case in Kazakhstan. By developing a spectral library to characterize the sedimentary profiles in our field area, we outline a simple method that can be used to quickly identify the locations of potentially fossiliferous strata that can subsequently be prospected first-hand by paleontologists on the ground. We have successfully tested this remote approach to search for fossils in the Lower Syrdarya Uplift in southern Kazakhstan – an area that encompasses more than 17,000 square kilometers. As image capture and analysis technologies develop, remote prospecting (sensing) applications are likely to become more and more prevalent in paleontology, especially in the development of remote field areas.
650    _aQH
653    _aspectral analysis, GIS, remote sensing, sedimentology, Kazakhstan, dinosaurs, Syrdarya Uplift
730    _aPalaeontologia Electronica
856    _uhttp://palaeo-electronica.org/2009_2/164/index.html