Undergraduate Geologic and Paleontologic Studies of the Middle Eocene Bridger Formation, Green River Basin, Wyoming

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9619908 Bartels The Albion College REU Site combines laboratory studies in the department of Geological Sciences with field research in southwestern Wyoming. Each undergraduate project examines a tightly constrained aspect of the geology or vertebrate paleontology of the Eocene formations of the Green River Basin in conjunction with an on-going joint Albion College-University of Michigan research program. These Eocene sediments and the vertebrate faunas they contain record an interval when Rocky Mountain basins preserved a unique combination of varied depositional environments and the interplay of modern vertebrates replacing those that appeared after the extinction of dinosaurs 65 million years ago. The fossil remains of animals ancestral to most modern vertebrate groups are preserved in variety of ancient lake, lake-margin, meandering stream, and alluvial fan deposits. Student participants, recruited from across the nation, combine field work and sophisticated laboratory analyses with thorough report preparation and presentation. Individual investigations are selected from topics ranging from issues in vertebrate paleobiology to sediment geochemistry. In both field and laboratory phases of the project, students are advised and assisted by a diverse body of established scientists from a variety of institutions.