Creative Inquiry

The Carolina Paleontology Project is part of Clemson University’s Creative Inquiry initiative providing practical experience in the study of South Carolina’s fossil history.  The program enables students to conduct original research at the museum and then package their results for distribution as a publication to the scientific community, or as an educational tool for use in K-12 classrooms, in the museum or in teacher training workshops.
The results of the project will not only benefit student team members and the Bob Campbell Geology Museum (Clemson University), but also the international paleontological community and K-12 educators in SC.  The following information was developed by the current CPP team.

Current projects

 Paleontology (the study of fossils) is a field that always has new areas to explore. There are always more fossils and environments to be discovered and studied. The purpose of the Carolina Paleontology Project is to use various fossil sites to explore the biology and environments in the southeastern U.S. through geologic time.

David Lee & Kamil Bakalarz 2011 – What to know more about Paleontology in South Carolina? Follow this link to find out.

Past Projects

How has South Carolina’s environment changed since prehistoric times? That is what members of the Carolina Paleontology Project are working to discover. By collecting plant and animal fossils from across the state, members will be able to observe and record changes may be linked to changes in the surrounding environment. Some fossils that will be studied by the group are tiger shark teeth, barracuda teeth, and sting ray tail spines. Since much of South Carolina was once underwater, many of the fossils are from marine animals. Tools, such as microscopes, will be used to observe and analyze the fossil samples.

Want to know what South Carolina’s environment used to look like? Follow this link to find out.

Adam Looper
Clemson University Geology Major
Class of 2010