RUI: Quaternary Vertebrate Paleontology and Biogeography of Southeast Alaska

RUI：阿拉斯加东南部第四纪脊椎动物古生物学和生物地理学

• 批准号: 0208247
• 负责人: Timothy Heaton
• 金额: $ 31万
• 依托单位: University of South Dakota Main Campus
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2002
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2002-08-15 至 2006-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0208247&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: RUI; Quaternary; Vertebrate; Paleontology; Biogeography

RUI: Quaternary Vertebrate Paleontology and Biogeography of Southeast AlaskaTimothy H. HeatonUniversity of South DakotaEAR-0208247Southeast Alaska occupies a critical position in understanding the human and animal history of North America. During glacial epochs of the recent Ice Age, central Alaska was connected to Asia by the Bering Land Bridge, and the barriers to intercontinental travel were the large ice sheets that covered most of Canada. Coastal Alaska was a logical route for travel between ice-free areas because the Pacific Ocean kept the region relatively warm and provided a constant source of food. Until recently Quaternary fossils were unknown from Southeast Alaska, and geologists and biologists believed that the coast had been completely overridden with ice. But a decade of research has demonstrated that Southeast Alaska was home to an arctic community of mammals and birds that thrived even during the coldest period of the Last Glacial Maximum. Beginning in 1990, limestone caves containing Ice Age fossil remains were discovered on northern Prince of Wales Island. The most productive of these was On Your Knees Cave, which contained a nearly complete fossil record spanning the last 50,000 years as well as the most extensive archaeological record of Southeast Alaska (spanning the last 10,000 years). The next step is to excavate caves on multiple islands and on the mainland of Southeast Alaska to gain a complete biogeographic history of the region during and following the Last Glacial Maximum. Promising sites containing vertebrate fossils have been located on the outermost islands (Dall, Heceta, and Coronation Islands) and on the mainland near the town of Wrangell. Other regions being explored are karst areas of northern Chichagof Island and Glacier Bay National Park. The objectives of this project are to locate and conduct small-scale excavations at many sites in hopes of finding other fossil deposits of similar antiquity to On Your Knees Cave. It is also hoped that additional archaeological records can be located that will help determine the antiquity of humans in the region and assess the possibility that Southeast Alaska was a corridor for travel between Asia and North America during the Ice Age.

RUI：南达科他州南达科他州的热门人物H.0208247Southeast Alaska的第四季脊椎动物古生物学和生物地理学。在最近的冰河时代的冰川时代期间，阿拉斯加中部与亚洲陆桥相连，洲际旅行的障碍是覆盖加拿大大部分地区的大型冰盖。阿拉斯加沿海地区是无冰区域之间旅行的合乎逻辑的途径，因为太平洋保持了相对温暖并提供了持续的食物来源。直到最近，第四纪化石还不知道阿拉斯加东南部，地质学家和生物学家认为，海岸已经被冰完全覆盖了。但是十年的研究表明，阿拉斯加东南部是北极社区的哺乳动物和鸟类社区的家园，即使在最后一次冰川最大的最冷时期也繁荣起来。从1990年开始，在威尔士岛北部的北部王子发现了含有冰河时代化石遗体的石灰石洞穴。其中最有效的是您的膝盖洞穴，其中包含了过去50，000年的几乎完整的化石记录，以及阿拉斯加东南部最广泛的考古记录（跨越了过去10，000年）。下一步是在阿拉斯加东南部和阿拉斯加东南部的大陆上挖掘洞穴，以在最后一个冰川最大值期间和之后获得该地区的完整生物地理历史。含有脊椎动物化石的有前途的遗址位于最外面的岛屿（达尔，海奇塔和加冕群岛），并位于弗兰格尔镇附近的大陆。正在探索的其他地区是北奇卡戈夫岛和冰川湾国家公园的喀斯特地区。该项目的目的是在许多地点找到和进行小规模发掘，以期找到与膝盖洞穴上类似古代的其他化石沉积物。还希望可以找到其他考古记录，这将有助于确定该地区人类的古代，并评估阿拉斯加东南部是冰河时代亚洲和北美之间旅行的走廊的可能性。