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

该奖项由极地项目办公室的南极地质和地球物理项目提供，支持一个研究南极洲横贯南极山脉中部三叠纪和侏罗纪恐龙和其他脊椎动物的项目。在2003- 2004年的南方夏季，将在Beardmore冰川地区进行一项寻找上三叠统至侏罗纪时期脊椎动物化石的野外项目。最初，野外工作将集中在汉森组，那里产生了南极洲唯一的侏罗纪恐龙群。在Kirkpatrick山上，将对Hanson恐龙进行进一步挖掘，然后在Beardmore地区对Hanson、Falla和Upper Fremouw地层的其他暴露物进行广泛的搜索。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Beardmore地区的一个小型直升机营地工作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一个独特的机会，该项目将使该领域的知识取得重大进展。

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.