Cranbrook Institute of Science is engaged in ongoing research activities and development of our natural history collections. Institute scientists conduct field research, perform laboratory studies, and collect objects of all kinds from around the world. Check here to find out about recent activities and the results of the studies of the Institute's scientists.

Prehistoric Tropical Reef Project 2007: Thunder Bay Island 6-29 to 7-8-07 Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary - In the footsteps of Carl Rominger.

Working from the legendary former State Geologist Carl Rominger's classic 1874 geological survey descriptions, a Cranbrook Institute of Science – Noble Odyssey Foundation team aboard the Research Vessel Pride of Michigan (Captained by Luke Clyburn) was able to locate the upper portion of a remarkable undescribed Middle Devonian stromatoporoid reef complex (~385 million years old). The reef bed was exposed by low lake levels along the limestone ledges cropping out at the southern end of Thunder Bay Island, within the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary.

Read more about Zawiskie's research.

Adams Rd. Mastodon Update: 8-6-07

Since its recovery and initial conservation last summer (see recent activity archives), the Adams Rd. Mastodon bones and related sediments, plant and invertebrate macrofossils have been the subject of further study by Institute geologist John Zawiskie and his colleague Dr. Hezy Shoshani.

Read more here.

The Adams Mastodon: Uncovering An Ice Age Behemoth!

Discovery, Excavation and Conservation

On July 7 a road crew working near Adams Road and M-59 were amazed to see a large limb bone fall from the shovel of their backhoe. Members of the Oakland County Road Commission (Bill Macentee and Jim Persinger) and the crew from Dan’s Construction Inc. stopped their project, searched and removed additional materials from the sediments, including a tooth and partial tusk that suggested that they had discovered the remains of the American mastodon (Mammut americanum), a shaggy haired elephant-like animal that roamed Oakland County at the end of the last glacial period, before becoming extinct roughly 10,000 C-14 years ago.

A team from the Institute was called in to confirm and assess the find and continue the excavation... [Read More]