Rescue of Late Eocene Vertebrates; Yuanqu Basin, China

元阿曲盆地为山间构造 占地约 350平方米在中国中部的中条山范围内。 始新世至 该盆地的渐新世陆相岩石中含有 最好的 在亚洲发现了这个时代的脊椎动物化石， 包括， 至少有50种哺乳动物和5种 爬行动物 这些 1916年， 瑞典 地质学家，他的收藏构成了一个 早期专著 中国第三纪脊椎动物。 从这么早开始 远征 古生物学家参观了这个盆地， 化石 和梯组的脊椎动物 因此，至少 20个分类群 已被添加到原始列表中，许多代表 宝贵 哺乳动物的材料。 1993年，中华人民共和国 中国将 在黄河上建一个大坝，至少 15 重要的化石遗址将被淹没。 这 项目是 中国和美国之间的合作努力 考古学家 从这些遗址中提取化石， 古地磁学在被淹没之前 %%% 该项目的重要性在于它提供了 最后 有机会抢救宝贵的古生物材料 从 中国的河梯组。 这个地区的地层 得很好 已知的，它有丰富的记录脊椎动物在 后期 始新世 在这一地区被洪水淹没之前， 组合式中文 美国的研究小组将打捞含有化石的材料 从 将丢失的网站。 这一点非常重要，因为 这 特定的地层在形态上是完整的 标本 保存在沉积物中，因此，这些化石将 揭示 在一个动态的间隔，当气候，动物群， 生物地理 始新世-渐新世事件的变化。

The Yuanaqu Basin is an intermontane structure covering about 350 sq. km within the Zhongtiao Range of central China. Eocene to Oligocene terrestrial rocks in this basin contain one of the best records for vertebrate fossils of this age in Asia, including, to date, at least 50 species of mammals and five of reptiles. These fossiliferous deposits were discovered in 1916 by a Swedish geologist whose collections formed the core of a monograph on early Tertiary vertebrates of China. Since this early expedition paleontologists have visited this basin and collected fossil vertebrates in the Heti Formation. As a result, at least 20 taxa have been added to the original list and many represent valuable material on mammals. In 1993 the People's Republic of China will build a dam on the Huanghe (Yellow) River, and at least 15 important fossil-bearing sites will be submerged. This project is a collaborative effort between Chinese and American paleontologists to retrieve fossils from these sites and characterize the paleomagnetics prior to submersion. %%% The significance of this project is that it offers the last opportunity to salvage valuable paleontological material from the Heti Formation in China. The stratigraphy of this region is well known and it has a rich record of vertebrates in the latter part of the Eocene. Prior to flooding of this region, the combined Chinese and American teams will salvage fossil bearing materials from the sites that will be lost. This is very important because this particular formation has morphologically complete specimens preserved in deposits, and as such, these fossils will shed light on a dynamic interval, when the climatic, faunal, and biogeographic changes of the Eocene-Oligocene event occurred.