Vertebrate Paleontology of the Triassic to Jurassic Sedimentary Sequence in the Beardmore Glacier Area, Antarctica

该奖项由极地计划办公室南极地质和地球物理计划提供，支持一个调查南极中部横贯北极山脉的三叠纪和侏罗纪恐龙和其他脊椎动物的项目。一项在比尔德莫尔冰川地区寻找上三叠纪至侏罗纪脊椎动物化石的野外计划将于2003-04年夏季进行。最初，现场工作将集中在汉森组，该组产生了南极洲唯一的侏罗纪恐龙动物群。进一步发掘山上的汉森恐龙遗址。柯克帕特里克将被发现，随后将广泛搜索比尔德莫尔地区汉森、法拉和上弗雷穆尔组的其他暴露。一个六人的实地小组将允许两个较小的小组在不同的地点独立工作。该小组将在比尔德莫尔地区的一个小型直升机营地外活动3-4周。除了收集新的标本外，还将对每个脊椎动物遗址的沉积环境进行解释。该项目的第二年和第三年将致力于脊椎动物的准备和研究。南极脊椎动物为研究高纬度中生代动物群的进化和生物地理意义提供了独特的机会，这一项目应该会在这一领域的知识方面取得重大进展。

This award, provided by the Antarctic Geology and Geophysics Program of the Office of Polar Programs, supports a project to investigate Triassic and Jurassic dinosaurs and other vertebrates from the central Transantarctic Mountains of Antarctica. A field program to search for Upper Triassic to Jurassic age fossil vertebrates in the Beardmore Glacier region will be carried out in the 2003-04 austral summer. Initially, field efforts will concentrate on the Hanson Formation that has produced the only Jurassic dinosaur fauna from Antarctica. Further excavation of the Hanson dinosaur locality on Mt. Kirkpatrick will occur, followed by an extensive search of other exposures of the Hanson, Falla and Upper Fremouw Formations in the Beardmore area. A field party of six persons will allow two smaller groups to work independently at different sites. This group will operate for 3-4 weeks out of a small helicopter camp located in the Beardmore area. In addition to collecting new specimens an interpretation of the depositional settings for each of the vertebrate sites will be made. The second and third years of this project will be dedicated to preparation and study of the vertebrates. Antarctic vertebrates provide a unique opportunity to study the evolutionary and biogeographic significance of high latitude Mesozoic faunas and this project should result in significant advances in knowledge in this field.