The Peruvian Fossil Forest Piedra Chamana: A Record of Continental Conditions during the Middle Eocene

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This award provides funds for a combination of field and laboratory studies to reconstruct the environment and climate of a Middle Eocene low-latitude site, using fossil wood (i.e., monocots and dicots) from the northern Peruvian Andes. The scientific premise for the research is that while continental and oceanic proxy records have established the existence of warm climates at high latitudes during the Middle Eocene, conditions at tropical latitudes during this period are not as well documented. It has, in addition, been difficult for climate models to simulate the degree of high-latitude warmth indicated for the Eocene and also the much lesser extent of warming in the lower latitudes. The fossil forest is thereby an important record of tropical conditions during a time of notable warmth worldwide and before the changes of the latter part of the Eocene. The diversity of taxa at the Peru site is ideally suited for paleoclimate reconstructions.This project will facilitate international exchange of ideas and analytical techniques between US and Peruvian scientists, enhance the conservation of important scientific specimens, and provide a unique learning experience for a US graduate student. In addition, the project represents a strong and supportive collaboration between the US National Science Foundation, Clark University, the US National Park Service, and the National University San Marcos in Peru that will help the research progress effectively.