Continued Research on the Triassic and Jurassic Vertebrate Faunas From the Transantarctic Mountains

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OPP 9614928 Hammer Abstract This award supports continued research on Triassic and Jurassic fossil vertebrates from the Transantarctic Mountains. During the 1995/96 austral summer, a field team collected 120 new specimens of Triassic vertebrates from sites near the Shackleton Glacier. In previous seasons Triassic to Jurassic age vertebrates were recovered from localities near the Beardmore Glacier. This award supports the continued preparation and study of these collections, particularly the material collected recently. The new fossils are all from the Early Triassic age lower Fremouw Formation and they represent at least 12-16 different taxa, several of which appear to be new. Included are 15-20 partial to complete skeletons and numerous additional skulls, jaws, and other diagnostic pieces of numerous herbivorous and carnivorous synapsids, small diapsids, procolophonid anapsids and temnospondyl amphibians. Preparation of most of the specimens is required before more precise identifications can be made. This extensive amount of material will be used to determine whether the greater diversity in assemblages found in the Shackleton Glacier area compared to similar age collections made near the Beardmore Glacier is due to climate or facies. The Shackleton localities are upland from the Beardmore vertebrate sites and the climatic differences may have effected the relative diversity of the faunas. An interpretation of the taphonomic/depositional settings for each locality will also be made. Finally, studies on the evolutionary significance of the high latitude vertebrate faunas from the Mesozoic (Early Triassic, early Middle Triassic and Early Jurassic) will continue. Because vertebrates of several different ages spanning the Triassic to Jurassic are now known from Antarctica, they provide a unique opportunity to study the evolution of high latitude faunas. These faunas also contribute to our understanding of high latitude climates during this time.