Tom Rich
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Through Geology
Education and career
- He was a student of Professor Ruben Arthur Stirton. This pushed him to become aware of potential in Australia to make fundamental discoveries about mammalian evolution
- Received his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1964 and his Masters in 1967 at the University of California, Berkeley
- He graduated in 1973 from Columbia University in New York City with a Ph.D. in Geology.
Career and professional positions
- Rich is a trained Vertebrate paleontologist at University of California, Berkeley and Columbia University.
- His research has revolved around finding and analyzing the Early Cretace Polar Dinosaurs, mammals and other tetrapod's of southeastern Australia.
- His work is also known as the Ghastly Blank project, beginning in 1978 and the summaries of the field work and scientific results are recorded in the book Darkness and Dinosaurs, which he wrote with his wife.
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The dig of Dinosaur Cove
The dig at Dinosaur Cove took place on the Otway Coast of Victoria, Australia. Beginning in 1984, the project lasted nearly a decade, with the tunnels finally being boarded up in 1993. The dig was the culmination of over 700 people's efforts, with a large contribution from volunteer work. This was his most important work, and it was start by both Rich and his wife and colleague, Patricia Vickers-Rich. The dig was featured on the BBC mini documentary series Walking with Dinosaurs in episode 5, Spirits of the Silent Forest, which aired in 1999.
Accomplishments
- Rich has collected more than 85 percent of all the known Mesozoic Mammal fossils in Australia
- First to recognize the pseudotribosphenic condition and its significance in mammals.
- Found and described the only multituberculates and tribosphenic Masozoic mammals known from Australia.
- Excavated the first two tunnels to be cut for the sole purpose of recovering fossils.
- Recognized the first features of a non-avian dinosaur adapted specifically for a polar environment.
Personal life
Thomas H. Rich was born on May 30, 1941, in the United States. Rich is married to palaeontologist Patricia Arlene Vickers-Rich. Together the couple described the dinosaur genera Leaellynasaura and Timimus, naming them after their daughter and son, Leaellyn and Tim Rich, respectively.
In 2012, Thomas Rich was diagnosed with Macular Degeneration, an eye disease that causes loss of vision. In an effort to treat his condition, he became the first Australian to use IrisVision.
Thomas Rich is also honored in the epithet of the ancient thylacinid species Nimbacinus richi.