RAPID: The Snowmastodon Project

RAPID：雪乳齿象项目

• 批准号: 1125579
• 负责人: Kirk Johnson
• 金额: $ 1万
• 依托单位: Denver Museum of Nature and Science
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2011
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2011-07-01 至 2012-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1125579&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: RAPID; Snowmastodon; Project

The recent discovery on Oct. 14, 2010, of exceptionally preserved plant and large mammal fossils atZeigler Reservoir near Snowmass Village, Colorado provides a brief opportunity to study an amazinglywell-preserved, sequence of high-elevation Ice Age ecosystems. In 18 days (Oct. 29 to Nov. 17, 2010),the Denver Museum of Nature & Science (DMNS) excavated more than 600 bones comprising parts of 8-10 American mastodons, 4 Columbian mammoths, 4 Ice Age bison, 2 deer, 1 Jefferson?s ground sloth(the first record in Colorado and the highest altitude record in North America), multiple Tigersalamanders, and exceptionally preserved plant, insect and aquatic invertebrate fossils. As a whole, thesite represents the first relatively complete sequence of lacustrine Pleistocene ecosystems at highelevation in the Rocky Mountains. A number of key research questions and opportunities have emerged:1) What does this site tell us about high elevation Pleistocene climate and biota in the Ice Age Rockies?2) What is the geochronology of the site? 3) What is the detailed history of lake in-filling? 4) What werethe life histories of the site?s mammoths and mastodons? 5) Given the large number of specimens, can weundertake metapopulation analyses of the bison, mammoth, and mastodon? And 6) what is the relevanceof this Rocky Mountain climate and biotic record to present-day issues of climate change?To answer these over-arching questions and other more specific questions, we have assembled a team of32 scientists from 15 institutions organized into six groups to undertake a comprehensive multidisciplinarystudy of the Ziegler Reservoir fossil lake. These groups are: 1) regional and local geology; 2)stratigraphy; 3) geochronology; 4) fossil vertebrates; 5) fossil plants; and 6) fossil invertebrates. Usingthis approach, we are designing a plan to: 1) excavate the remaining fossil resources from the dam site inMay-June, 2011, before the site is buried by planned dam construction in July-September; 2) implement acomprehensive scientific research plan to study and understand this site; 3) preserve and conserve thefossils from the site; and 4) to use the results of this discovery provide world-class educationalopportunities to local, regional, national, and international audiences. DMNS is planning ancomprehensive media and documentary plan for the 2011 excavation and DMNS educators will return tothe Roaring Fork Valley in Spring 2011 to provide free education programs for K-12 students in all of theRoaring Fork Valley schools, including in-school assembly programs, distance learning programs, teacherprofessional development programs, and early childhood education resources available onwww.dmns.org. This grant will partially fund the fieldwork portion of 2011 activities.

2010年10月14日，在科罗拉多斯诺马斯村附近的齐格勒水库发现了保存异常完好的植物和大型哺乳动物化石，这为研究保存完好的高海拔冰河时代生态系统提供了一个短暂的机会。在18天内（2010年10月29日至11月17日），丹佛自然科学博物馆（DMNS）挖掘了600多块骨头，包括8-10只美洲乳齿象，4只哥伦比亚猛犸象，4只冰河时代的野牛，2只鹿，1只杰斐逊？的地懒（科罗拉多的第一个记录和北美最高海拔记录），多种虎蝾螈，以及保存异常完好的植物，昆虫和水生无脊椎动物化石。总的来说，该遗址代表了落基山脉高海拔地区第一个相对完整的湖泊更新世生态系统序列。一些关键的研究问题和机会已经出现：1）这个网站告诉我们什么关于高海拔更新世气候和生物群在冰河时代落基山脉？2)该遗址的地质年代学是什么？3)填湖的详细历史是什么？4)该遗址的生活史是什么？猛犸象和乳齿象？5)鉴于标本数量庞大，我们能否对野牛、猛犸和乳齿象进行集合种群分析？6）落基山脉的气候和生物记录与当今的气候变化问题有什么关系？为了回答这些过于复杂的问题和其他更具体的问题，我们组建了一个由来自15个机构的32名科学家组成的团队，分成6个小组，对齐格勒水库化石湖进行全面的多学科研究。这些群体是：1）区域和当地地质; 2）地层学; 3）地质年代学; 4）脊椎动物化石; 5）植物化石; 6）无脊椎动物化石。根据这一思路，我们计划在2011年5 - 6月挖掘坝址区剩余的化石资源，然后在7 - 9月进行大坝工程掩埋; 2）实施全面的科学研究计划，研究和了解该遗址; 3）保存和保护该遗址的化石;以及4）利用这一发现的结果为当地、区域、国家和国际观众提供世界级的教育机会。DMNS正在为2011年的挖掘工作制定一项全面的媒体和纪录片计划，DMNS的教育工作者将于2011年春季返回咆哮叉谷，为所有咆哮叉谷学校的K-12学生提供免费教育计划，包括校内集会计划，远程学习计划，教师专业发展计划，这项赠款将为2011年活动的实地工作部分提供部分资金。