Yukon

SFU paleoecologist discusses the past, present and future of Earth’s climate

By: Olivia Sherman Dr. Rolf Mathewes is a professor of paleoecology, the study of ancient ecosystems, and is SFU’s longest serving faculty member in the department of biology. He has been a member of SFU since his undergraduate studies began in 1967. Mathewes has also served as a forensic botanist, interpreting plant remains that are evidence in homicide cases. One of his recent discoveries from the Eocene Epoch, spanning 56–33 million years ago, is from Lhuḵw'lhuḵw'áyten (Burnaby Mountain). His data proves that during this time period, Lhuḵw'lhuḵw'áyten was a tropical environment.  The name Eocene comes from the Greek word eos,…

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