Continued Research on the Triassic and Jurassic Vertebrate Faunas From the Transantarctic Mountains

编号9614928锤子 该奖项支持对横贯南极山脉三叠纪和侏罗纪脊椎动物化石的持续研究。 在1995年至1996年的南半球夏季，一个实地考察小组从沙克尔顿冰川附近的地点收集了120个新的三叠纪脊椎动物标本。 在以前的季节里，从三叠纪到侏罗纪的脊椎动物在比尔德摩尔冰川附近的地方被发现。 该奖项支持继续准备和研究这些收藏，特别是最近收集的材料。 这些新化石都来自早三叠世Fremouw地层下部，它们代表了至少12-16个不同的分类群，其中一些似乎是新的。 包括15-20个部分到完整的骨骼和许多额外的头骨，颌骨，以及许多食草和肉食性合孔类，小型双孔类，原嵴椎类和temnospondyl两栖动物的其他诊断件。 在进行更精确的鉴定之前，需要制备大部分标本。 这些大量的材料将被用来确定沙克尔顿冰川地区发现的组合物的多样性是否比比尔德莫尔冰川附近的类似年龄的集合更大，是由于气候或相。 沙克尔顿地区是高地从Beardmore脊椎动物网站和气候差异可能影响了动物群的相对多样性。 还将对每个地点的埋藏/沉积背景进行解释。 最后，将继续研究中生代（早三叠世、中三叠世早期和早侏罗世）高纬度脊椎动物群的演化意义。 由于现在在南极洲发现了从三叠纪到侏罗纪的几个不同时代的脊椎动物，它们为研究高纬度动物群的进化提供了一个独特的机会。 这些动物群也有助于我们了解这一时期的高纬度气候。

OPP 9614928 Hammer Abstract This award supports continued research on Triassic and Jurassic fossil vertebrates from the Transantarctic Mountains. During the 1995/96 austral summer, a field team collected 120 new specimens of Triassic vertebrates from sites near the Shackleton Glacier. In previous seasons Triassic to Jurassic age vertebrates were recovered from localities near the Beardmore Glacier. This award supports the continued preparation and study of these collections, particularly the material collected recently. The new fossils are all from the Early Triassic age lower Fremouw Formation and they represent at least 12-16 different taxa, several of which appear to be new. Included are 15-20 partial to complete skeletons and numerous additional skulls, jaws, and other diagnostic pieces of numerous herbivorous and carnivorous synapsids, small diapsids, procolophonid anapsids and temnospondyl amphibians. Preparation of most of the specimens is required before more precise identifications can be made. This extensive amount of material will be used to determine whether the greater diversity in assemblages found in the Shackleton Glacier area compared to similar age collections made near the Beardmore Glacier is due to climate or facies. The Shackleton localities are upland from the Beardmore vertebrate sites and the climatic differences may have effected the relative diversity of the faunas. An interpretation of the taphonomic/depositional settings for each locality will also be made. Finally, studies on the evolutionary significance of the high latitude vertebrate faunas from the Mesozoic (Early Triassic, early Middle Triassic and Early Jurassic) will continue. Because vertebrates of several different ages spanning the Triassic to Jurassic are now known from Antarctica, they provide a unique opportunity to study the evolution of high latitude faunas. These faunas also contribute to our understanding of high latitude climates during this time.