Vertebrate Paleontology of the Triassic to Jurassic Sedimentary Sequences in Southern Victoria Land and the Beardmore Glacier Area, Antarctica

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This award, provided by the Antarctic Geology and Geophysics Program of the Office of Polar Programs, supports vertebrate paleontological research in the Transantarctic Mountains. Antarctic field work, to search for and collect new terrestrial vertebrates of Triassic and Jurassic age, will be conducted in the austral summer of 1999-2000. During this season, exposures of the Feather and Lashly Formations in southern Victoria Land will be explored with the support of helicopters operating from McMurdo Station. Field efforts will concentrate on finding exposures equivalent to the Hanson Formation that has produced the only Jurassic dinosaur fauna from Antarctica and searching for new middle to upper Triassic fossil vertebrates. In addition to collecting new fossil specimens, an interpretation of the taphonomic/depositional settings for each of the localities will be made. The preparation and study of the vertebrates will occur during the second year of this project and will include investigation of the evolutionary significance of the member taxa of these high latitude Mesozoic faunas. Antarctic vertebrates of several different ages spanning the Triassic to Jurassic that have been discovered in recent years provide a unique opportunity to study the evolution of high latitude faunas. These faunas also contribute to our understanding of high latitude climates during the Mesozoic.