{"dp_type": "Project", "free_text": "Triassic"}
[{"awards": "1443557 Isbell, John", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-180 -85,-177.1 -85,-174.2 -85,-171.3 -85,-168.4 -85,-165.5 -85,-162.6 -85,-159.7 -85,-156.8 -85,-153.9 -85,-151 -85,-151 -85.2,-151 -85.4,-151 -85.6,-151 -85.8,-151 -86,-151 -86.2,-151 -86.4,-151 -86.6,-151 -86.8,-151 -87,-153.9 -87,-156.8 -87,-159.7 -87,-162.6 -87,-165.5 -87,-168.4 -87,-171.3 -87,-174.2 -87,-177.1 -87,180 -87,179 -87,178 -87,177 -87,176 -87,175 -87,174 -87,173 -87,172 -87,171 -87,170 -87,170 -86.8,170 -86.6,170 -86.4,170 -86.2,170 -86,170 -85.8,170 -85.6,170 -85.4,170 -85.2,170 -85,171 -85,172 -85,173 -85,174 -85,175 -85,176 -85,177 -85,178 -85,179 -85,-180 -85))", "dataset_titles": "A LITHOFACIES ANALYSIS OF A SOUTH POLAR GLACIATION IN THE EARLY PERMIAN: PAGODA FORMATION, SHACKLETON GLACIER REGION, ANTARCTICA; A new stratigraphic framework built on U-Pb single-zircon TIMS agesand implications for the timing ofthe penultimate icehouse (Paran\u00e1 Basin, Brazil); Constraining late Paleozoic ice extent in the Paganzo Basin of western Argentina utilizing U-Pb detrital zircon geochronology for the lower Paganzo Group strata; Coupled stratigraphic and U-Pb zircon age constraints on the late Paleozoic icehouse-to-greenhouse turnover in south-central Gondwana; Isotopes to ice: Constraining provenance of glacial deposits and ice centers in west-central Gondwana; Late Permian soil-forming paleoenvironments on Gondwana: A review; Provenance of late Paleozoic glacial/post-glacial deposits in the eastern Chaco-Paran\u00e1 Basin, Uruguay and southernmost Paran\u00e1 Basin, Brazil; Supplemental material: Nitrogen-fixing symbiosis inferred from stable isotope analysis of fossil tree rings from the Oligocene of Ethiopia; When does large woody debris influence ancient rivers? Dendrochronology\r\napplications in the Permian and Triassic, Antarctica", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "200266", "doi": "10.2110/jsr.2021.004", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "Publication", "science_program": null, "title": "A LITHOFACIES ANALYSIS OF A SOUTH POLAR GLACIATION IN THE EARLY PERMIAN: PAGODA FORMATION, SHACKLETON GLACIER REGION, ANTARCTICA", "url": "https://www.sepm.org/publications"}, {"dataset_uid": "200274", "doi": "10.1130/G39213.1", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "Publication", "science_program": null, "title": "Supplemental material: Nitrogen-fixing symbiosis inferred from stable isotope analysis of fossil tree rings from the Oligocene of Ethiopia", "url": "https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/geology/article-standard/45/8/687/207623/Nitrogen-fixing-symbiosis-inferred-from-stable"}, {"dataset_uid": "200273", "doi": "10.1016/j.palaeo.2018.04.020", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "Publication", "science_program": null, "title": "Isotopes to ice: Constraining provenance of glacial deposits and ice centers in west-central Gondwana", "url": "https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0031018217309008?via%3Dihub"}, {"dataset_uid": "200272", "doi": "10.1016/j.jsames.2020.102899", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "Publication", "science_program": null, "title": "Constraining late Paleozoic ice extent in the Paganzo Basin of western Argentina utilizing U-Pb detrital zircon geochronology for the lower Paganzo Group strata", "url": "https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0895981120304429?via%3Dihub#mmc1"}, {"dataset_uid": "200271", "doi": "10.1016/j.palaeo.2019.109544", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "Publication", "science_program": null, "title": "When does large woody debris influence ancient rivers? Dendrochronology\r\napplications in the Permian and Triassic, Antarctica", "url": "https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0031018219304006?via%3Dihub"}, {"dataset_uid": "200270", "doi": "10.1016/j.jsames.2020.102989", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "Publication", "science_program": null, "title": "Provenance of late Paleozoic glacial/post-glacial deposits in the eastern Chaco-Paran\u00e1 Basin, Uruguay and southernmost Paran\u00e1 Basin, Brazil", "url": "https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0895981120305320#mmc1"}, {"dataset_uid": "200269", "doi": "10.1130/G46740.1", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "Publication", "science_program": null, "title": "Coupled stratigraphic and U-Pb zircon age constraints on the late Paleozoic icehouse-to-greenhouse turnover in south-central Gondwana", "url": "https://gsapubs.figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/Supplemental_material_Coupled_stratigraphic_and_U-Pb_zircon_age_constraints_on_the_late_Paleozoic_icehouse-to-greenhouse_turnover_in_south-central_Gondwana/12542069"}, {"dataset_uid": "200268", "doi": "10.1130/B31775.1.", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "Publication", "science_program": null, "title": "A new stratigraphic framework built on U-Pb single-zircon TIMS agesand implications for the timing ofthe penultimate icehouse (Paran\u00e1 Basin, Brazil)", "url": "https://gsapubs.figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/Supplemental_material_A_new_stratigraphic_framework_built_on_U-Pb_single-zircon_TIMS_ages_and_implications_for_the_timing_of_the_penultimate_icehouse_Paran_Basin_Brazil_/12535916"}, {"dataset_uid": "200267", "doi": "10.1016/j.palaeo.2021.110762", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "Publication", "science_program": null, "title": "Late Permian soil-forming paleoenvironments on Gondwana: A review", "url": "https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0031018221005472?via%3Dihub"}], "date_created": "Fri, 31 Dec 2021 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "The focus of this collaborative project is to collect fossil plants, wood, and sedimentary and chemical information from rocks in the Shackleton Glacier (SHK) area of Antarctica. This information will be used to reconstruct plant life and environments during the Permian and Triassic (~295-205 million years ago) in Antarctica. This time interval is important to study as Antarctica experienced a large glaciation in the Permian followed by deglaciation and recovery of plant and animal life, only to be subjected to the largest extinction in Earth history at the end of the Permian. After the extinction events, the climate in Antarctica continued to warm extensively and there were forests growing close to the paleo-South Pole. These ancient environments provide a natural laboratory in which to study the effects of climate change on plant life. The results of this project will advance the field in the areas of changing sedimentary patterns during global cooling and warming, as well as plant evolution during times following glaciation and during global warmth. This project will study the extent of the Gondwana glaciation in the SHK area, the invasion and subsequent flourishing of life following glacial retreat, and the eventual recovery of plant life after Late Permian extinction events. Only in Antarctica does a complete polar-to-near-polar succession occur across this climatic and biologic transition. The SHK area is an important one as it is one of the few regions in the world where the Permian-Triassic boundary (PTB) is exposed within terrestrial rocks. The field and lab work for this project is organized around three hypotheses that address fundamental issues in Earth history, including changes in the extent and diversity of flora during the Permian build up to the Late Paleozoic Ice Age, the possible diachronous nature of the PTB, and that poor fossil preservation during the Early Triassic has given a false impression that Antarctica was devoid of plants during this time. The hypotheses will be tested by integrating various types of paleobotanical approaches with detailed sedimentology, stratigraphy, and geochemistry. Compression floras and petrified wood will be collected (constrained by stratigraphy) both quantitatively and qualitatively in order to obtain biodiversity and abundance data, and as a data source for paleoecological analysis. Standard sedimentologic and stratigraphic analyses will be performed, as well as paleosol analyses, including mineralogic and major- and trace-element geochemistry. Collections will also be made for U-Pb zircon geochronology to better constrain geologic and biotic events through time. Results of the project will be incorporated into educational and outreach activities that are designed to include women and under-represented groups in the excitement of Antarctic earth sciences and paleontology, including workshops in Kansas and Wisconsin, as well as links to science classes during fieldwork.", "east": 170.0, "geometry": "POINT(-170.5 -86)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "Shackleton Glacier; SEDIMENTARY ROCKS; GLACIATION", "locations": "Shackleton Glacier", "north": -85.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Isbell, John", "platforms": null, "repo": "Publication", "repositories": "Publication", "science_programs": null, "south": -87.0, "title": "Collaborative Research: Permian and Triassic Icehouse to Greenhouse Paleoenvironments and Paleobotany in the Shackleton Glacier Area, Antarctica", "uid": "p0010287", "west": -151.0}, {"awards": "1947094 Sidor, Christian", "bounds_geometry": null, "dataset_titles": null, "datasets": null, "date_created": "Wed, 30 Jun 2021 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Non-technical Abstract Around 252 million years ago, a major mass extinction wiped out over 90% of species on Earth. Coincident with this extinction, the Antarctic portion of the supercontinent of Pangea transitioned to a warmer climatic regime devoid of a permanent ice cap. Compared to lower latitudes, relatively little is known about the survivors of the extinction in Antarctica, although it has been hypothesized that the continents more polar location shielded it from the worst of the extinctions effects. As the result of a NSF-sponsored deep field camp in 2017/2018, a remarkable collection of vertebrate fossils was discovered in the rocks of the Shackleton Glacier region. This collection includes the best preserved and most complete materials of fossil amphibians ever recovered from Antarctica, including two previously undescribed species. This grant supports one postdoctoral researcher with expertise in fossil amphibians to describe and interpret the significance of these fossils, including their identification, relationships, and how they fit into the terrestrial ecosystem of Antarctica and other southern hemisphere terrestrial assemblages in light of the major reorganization of post-extinction environments. Historical collections of fossil amphibians will also be reviewed as part of this work. Undergraduate students at the University of Washington will be actively involved as part of this research and learn skills like hard tissue histology and CT data manipulation. Public engagement in Antarctic science will be accomplished at the University of Washington Burke Museum, which is the Washington State museum of natural history and culture. Specifically, a new exhibit on Antarctic amphibians will be developed as part of the paleontology gallery, which sees over 100,000 visitors per year. Technical Abstract This two-year project will examine the evolution of Triassic temnospondyls based on a remarkable collection of fossils recently recovered from the Shackleton Glacier region of Antarctica. Temnospondyls collected from the middle member of the Fremouw Formation are part of the first collection of identifiable tetrapod fossils from this stratigraphic interval. Thorough anatomical description and comparisons of these fossils will add new faunal information and also aid in determining if this horizon is Early or Middle Triassic in age. Exquisitely preserved temnospondyl material from the lower Fremouw Formation will permit more precise identification than previously possible and will provide insights into the earliest stages of their radiation in the extinction recovery interval. Overall, the Principal Investigator and Postdoctoral Researcher will spearhead an effort to revise the systematics of the Antarctic members of Temnospondyli and properly contextualize them in the framework of Triassic tetrapod evolution. The research team will also take advantage of the climate-sensitive nature of fossil amphibians to better understand patterns of seasonality at high-latitudes during the early Mesozoic by subjecting selected fossils to histological analysis. Preliminary data suggest that temnospondyls were exceptionally diverse and highly endemic immediately after the end-Permian extinction, when compared to their distribution before and after this interval. If confirmed, this macroevolutionary pattern could be used to predict the response of modern amphibians to future climate perturbations. Overall, this research will provide new insights into the vertebrate fauna of the Fremouw Formation, as well as shed light on the evolution of terrestrial ecosystems in southern Pangea in the wake of the Permian-Triassic mass extinction. As part of the broader impacts, the research team will help to develop an exhibit featuring some of the best preserved fossils from Antarctica to explain to the public how paleontologists use fossils and rocks to understand past climates like the Triassic \u0027hot-house\u0027 world that lacked permanent ice caps at the poles. This award reflects NSF\u0027s statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation\u0027s intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.", "east": null, "geometry": null, "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "Temnospondyls; MACROFOSSILS; USA/NSF; FIELD SURVEYS; Permian Extinction; Triassic; Amd/Us; USAP-DC; AMD; ANIMALS/VERTEBRATES; Shackleton Glacier", "locations": "Shackleton Glacier", "north": null, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": "PHANEROZOIC \u003e PALEOZOIC \u003e PERMIAN", "persons": "Sidor, Christian", "platforms": "LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e FIELD SITES \u003e FIELD SURVEYS", "repositories": null, "science_programs": null, "south": null, "title": "A non-amniote perspective on the recovery from the end-Permian extinction at high latitudes: paleobiology of Early Triassic temnospondyls from Antarctica", "uid": "p0010217", "west": null}, {"awards": "1341475 Smith, Nathan; 1341304 Sidor, Christian; 1341645 Makovicky, Peter; 2001033 Makovicky, Peter; 1341376 Tabor, Neil", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-180 -84,-178 -84,-176 -84,-174 -84,-172 -84,-170 -84,-168 -84,-166 -84,-164 -84,-162 -84,-160 -84,-160 -84.3,-160 -84.6,-160 -84.9,-160 -85.2,-160 -85.5,-160 -85.8,-160 -86.1,-160 -86.4,-160 -86.7,-160 -87,-162 -87,-164 -87,-166 -87,-168 -87,-170 -87,-172 -87,-174 -87,-176 -87,-178 -87,180 -87,178.5 -87,177 -87,175.5 -87,174 -87,172.5 -87,171 -87,169.5 -87,168 -87,166.5 -87,165 -87,165 -86.7,165 -86.4,165 -86.1,165 -85.8,165 -85.5,165 -85.2,165 -84.9,165 -84.6,165 -84.3,165 -84,166.5 -84,168 -84,169.5 -84,171 -84,172.5 -84,174 -84,175.5 -84,177 -84,178.5 -84,-180 -84))", "dataset_titles": "Lower Triassic Antarctic vertebrate fossils at Field Museum, Chicago, IL", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "601511", "doi": "10.15784/601511", "keywords": "Allan Hills; Antarctica; Fremouw Formation; Lystrosaurus; Permo-Triassic Extinction; Prolacerta; Sample Location; Thrinaxofon; Triassic", "people": "Makovicky, Peter", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Lower Triassic Antarctic vertebrate fossils at Field Museum, Chicago, IL", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601511"}], "date_created": "Tue, 29 Jun 2021 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Around 252 million years ago, a major mass extinction wiped out upwards of 90% of species on Earth. Coincident with this extinction, the Antarctic portion of the supercontinent of Pangea transitioned to a warmer climatic regime and became devoid of glaciers. Little is known about the survivors of the extinction in Antarctica, although it has been hypothesized that the continent\u0027s high latitude location shielded it from the worst of the extinction\u0027s effects. The Shackleton Glacier region is the best place to study this extinction in Antarctica because it exposes an abundance of correct age rocks and relevant fossils were found there in the 1960s and 1980s. For this research, paleontologists will study fossil vertebrates that span from about 260 to 240 million years ago to understand how life evolved at high latitudes in the face of massive climate change. In addition, geologists will use fossil soils and fossil plant matter to more precisely reconstruct the climate of Antarctica across this extinction boundary. These data will allow for a more complete understanding of ancient climates and how Antarctic life compared to that at lower latitudes. Undergraduate and graduate students will be actively involved in this research. Public engagement in Antarctic science will be accomplished at several natural history museums. This three-year project will examine the evolution of Permo-Triassic paleoenvironments and their vertebrate communities by conducting fieldwork in the Shackleton Glacier region of Antarctica. The team will characterize the Permo-Triassic boundary within Shackleton area strata and correlate it to other stratigraphic successions in the region (e.g. via stable carbon isotope stratigraphy of fossilized plant organic matter). The researchers will use multiple types of data to assess the paleoenvironment, including: 1) paleosol morphology; 2) paleosol geochemistry; 3) pedogenic organic matter; and 4) fossil wood chronology and stable isotopes. The Fremouw Formation of Antarctica preserves the highest paleolatitude (~70\u00b0 S) tetrapod fauna of the entire Triassic and thus has the potential to shed important light on the evolution of polar life during the early Mesozoic. The biology of Triassic vertebrates from Antarctica will be compared to conspecifics from lower paleolatitudes through analysis of growth in bone and tusk histology. An interdisciplinary approach will be used to address relationships between environmental change, faunal composition, and biogeographic patterns in the context of the high-latitude strata preserved in the Buckley and Fremouw formations in the Shackleton Glacier region.", "east": -160.0, "geometry": "POINT(-177.5 -85.5)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "REPTILES; FIELD SURVEYS; USA/NSF; PALEOCLIMATE RECONSTRUCTIONS; Triassic; USAP-DC; TERRESTRIAL ECOSYSTEMS; MACROFOSSILS; Amd/Us; Fossils; Shackleton Glacier; LAND RECORDS; ANIMALS/VERTEBRATES; AMD", "locations": "Shackleton Glacier", "north": -84.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences; Antarctic Earth Sciences; Antarctic Earth Sciences; Antarctic Earth Sciences; Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Sidor, Christian; Smith, Nathan; Makovicky, Peter; Tabor, Neil", "platforms": "LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e FIELD SITES \u003e FIELD SURVEYS", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -87.0, "title": "Collaborative Research: Understanding the evolution of high-latitude Permo-Triassic paleoenvironments and their vertebrate communities", "uid": "p0010213", "west": 165.0}, {"awards": "1146399 Sidor, Christian", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((162.41 -84.27,163.409 -84.27,164.408 -84.27,165.407 -84.27,166.406 -84.27,167.405 -84.27,168.404 -84.27,169.403 -84.27,170.402 -84.27,171.401 -84.27,172.4 -84.27,172.4 -84.353,172.4 -84.436,172.4 -84.519,172.4 -84.602,172.4 -84.685,172.4 -84.768,172.4 -84.851,172.4 -84.934,172.4 -85.017,172.4 -85.1,171.401 -85.1,170.402 -85.1,169.403 -85.1,168.404 -85.1,167.405 -85.1,166.406 -85.1,165.407 -85.1,164.408 -85.1,163.409 -85.1,162.41 -85.1,162.41 -85.017,162.41 -84.934,162.41 -84.851,162.41 -84.768,162.41 -84.685,162.41 -84.602,162.41 -84.519,162.41 -84.436,162.41 -84.353,162.41 -84.27))", "dataset_titles": "Preparation of Vertebrate Fossils from the Triassic of Antarctica", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "600144", "doi": "10.15784/600144", "keywords": "Antarctica; Biota; Fossil; Paleoclimate; Sample/collection Description; Sample/Collection Description; Solid Earth; Transantarctic Mountains; Triassic", "people": "Sidor, Christian", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Preparation of Vertebrate Fossils from the Triassic of Antarctica", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/600144"}], "date_created": "Tue, 27 Oct 2015 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Intellectual Merit: The PI requests support for preparation of a large collection of vertebrate fossils recently recovered from the Central Transantarctic Mountains (CTAM) of Antarctica. These fossils will be used to place early Mesozoic Antarctic dinosaurs and other vertebrates into a global evolutionary, biogeographic, and faunal context; assess the degree of endemism in Triassic vertebrate faunas of Antarctica; constrain temporal relationships of the Triassic Antarctic vertebrate faunas; and refine the stratigraphic context for the Triassic Antarctic vertebrate assemblages to establish a paleoenvironmental framework. The lower and middle Triassic fossils offer a rare window on life in terrestrial environments at high-latitudes immediately after the Permian mass extinction. Broader impacts: The PI will use their fossils to educate the public about the geologic, climatic, and biologic history of Antarctica by visiting local schools. They will create and publish at least two new videos to the Burke Museum blog that relate the graduate student?s experience of fieldwork in Antarctica. They will also update the Antarctica section on the UWBM \"Explore Your World\" website with images and findings from their field season.", "east": 172.4, "geometry": "POINT(167.405 -84.685)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "Not provided", "locations": null, "north": -84.27, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Sidor, Christian", "platforms": "Not provided", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -85.1, "title": "Preparation of Vertebrate Fossils from the Triassic of Antarctica", "uid": "p0000418", "west": 162.41}, {"awards": "0943935 Isbell, John; 0943934 Taylor, Edith", "bounds_geometry": null, "dataset_titles": "Portal to search geologic sample collections, Polar Rock Repository, Byrd Polar Research Center, The Ohio State University; Portal to search paleobotanical collections, Biodiversity Institute, University of Kansas", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "001377", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "PRR", "science_program": null, "title": "Portal to search geologic sample collections, Polar Rock Repository, Byrd Polar Research Center, The Ohio State University", "url": "http://research.bpcrc.osu.edu/rr/"}, {"dataset_uid": "002567", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "PI website", "science_program": null, "title": "Portal to search paleobotanical collections, Biodiversity Institute, University of Kansas", "url": "http://biodiversity.ku.edu/paleobotany/collections/collections-search"}, {"dataset_uid": "001402", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "PI website", "science_program": null, "title": "Portal to search paleobotanical collections, Biodiversity Institute, University of Kansas", "url": "http://biodiversity.ku.edu/paleobotany/collections/collections-search"}], "date_created": "Tue, 23 Sep 2014 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Intellectual Merit:\u003cbr/\u003eThe focus of this proposal is to collect fossil plants and palynomorphs from Permian-Triassic (P-T) rocks of the central Transantarctic Mountains (CTM), together with detailed data on sedimentologic and paleoecologic depositional environments. Fossil plants are important climate proxies that offer a unique window into the past, and the CTM fossils are an important source of data on the ways that plants responded to a strongly seasonal, polar light regime during a time of global change. The proposed project uses paleobotanical expertise, integrated with detailed sedimentology and stratigraphy, to reconstruct Permian-Triassic plant communities and their paleoenvironments. This interdisciplinary approach could uncover details of Antarctica?s complex late Paleozoic and Mesozoic environmental and climatic history which included: 1) deglaciation, 2) development and evolution of a post-glacial landscape and biota, 3) environmental and biotic change associated with the end-Permian mass extinction, 4) environmental recovery in the earliest Triassic, 5) strong, possible runaway Triassic greenhouse, and 6) widespread orogenesis and development of a foreland basin system. The PIs will collect compression floras both quantitatively and qualitatively to obtain biodiversity and abundance data. Since silicified wood is also present, the PIs will analyze tree rings and growth in a warm, high-latitude environment for which there is no modern analogue. Fossil plants from the CTM can provide biological and environmental information to: 1) interpret paleoclimate when Gondwana moved from icehouse to greenhouse conditions; 2) trace floral evolution across the P-T boundary; 3) reconstruct Antarctic plant life; 4) further understanding of plant adaptations to high latitudes. The Intellectual Merit of the research includes: 1) tracing floral evolution after the retreat of glaciers; 2) examining floral composition and diversity across the PTB; and 3) obtaining data on the recovery of these ecosystems in the Early Triassic, as well as changes in floral cover and diversity in the Early-Middle Triassic. Antarctica is the only place on Earth that includes extensive outcrops of terrestrial rocks, combined with widespread and well-preserved plant fossils, which spans this crucial time period.\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eBroader impacts:\u003cbr/\u003eThe broader impacts include public outreach; teaching, and mentoring of women and underrepresented students; mentoring graduate student, postdoctoral, and new faculty women; development of an inquiry-based workshop on Antarctic paleoclimate with the Division of Education, KU Natural History Museum; continuing support of workshops for middle school girls in science via the Expanding Your Horizons Program, Emporia State University, and the TRIO program, KU; exploring Antarctic geosciences through video/computer links from McMurdo Station and satellite phone conferences from the field with K-12 science classes in Wisconsin and Kansas, and through participation in the NSF Research Experiences for Teachers program at the University of Wisconsin.", "east": null, "geometry": null, "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": false, "keywords": "FIELD SURVEYS; LABORATORY; Transanatarctic Basin; Paleobotany; Fossil Plants; FIELD INVESTIGATION; Sedimentology; Late Paleozoic Ice Age; Not provided; Central Transantarctic Mountains; Beardmore Glacier", "locations": "Transanatarctic Basin; Central Transantarctic Mountains; Beardmore Glacier", "north": null, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences; Antarctic Instrumentation and Support; Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": "PHANEROZOIC \u003e PALEOZOIC \u003e PERMIAN; PHANEROZOIC \u003e MESOZOIC \u003e TRIASSIC; PHANEROZOIC \u003e PALEOZOIC \u003e PERMIAN; PHANEROZOIC \u003e MESOZOIC \u003e TRIASSIC", "persons": "Isbell, John", "platforms": "LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e FIELD SITES \u003e FIELD INVESTIGATION; LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e FIELD SITES \u003e FIELD SURVEYS; Not provided; OTHER \u003e PHYSICAL MODELS \u003e LABORATORY", "repo": "PRR", "repositories": "PI website; PRR", "science_programs": null, "south": null, "title": "Collaborative Research: Antarctic Ecosystems across the Permian-Triassic Boundary: Integrating Paleobotany, Sedimentology, and Paleoecology", "uid": "p0000372", "west": null}, {"awards": "0944662 Elliot, David; 0944532 Isbell, John", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((158.9 -83,159.583 -83,160.266 -83,160.949 -83,161.632 -83,162.315 -83,162.998 -83,163.681 -83,164.364 -83,165.047 -83,165.73 -83,165.73 -83.21,165.73 -83.42,165.73 -83.63,165.73 -83.84,165.73 -84.05,165.73 -84.26,165.73 -84.47,165.73 -84.68,165.73 -84.89,165.73 -85.1,165.047 -85.1,164.364 -85.1,163.681 -85.1,162.998 -85.1,162.315 -85.1,161.632 -85.1,160.949 -85.1,160.266 -85.1,159.583 -85.1,158.9 -85.1,158.9 -84.89,158.9 -84.68,158.9 -84.47,158.9 -84.26,158.9 -84.05,158.9 -83.84,158.9 -83.63,158.9 -83.42,158.9 -83.21,158.9 -83))", "dataset_titles": "Rock Samples (full data link not provided)", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "000171", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "PRR", "science_program": null, "title": "Rock Samples (full data link not provided)", "url": "http://bprc.osu.edu/rr/"}], "date_created": "Thu, 05 Dec 2013 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Intellectual Merit: \u003cbr/\u003eThe goal of this project is to address relationships between foreland basins and their tectonic settings by combining detrital zircon isotope characteristics and sedimentological data. To accomplish this goal the PIs will develop a detailed geochronology and analyze Hf- and O-isotopes of detrital zircons in sandstones of the Devonian Taylor Group and the Permian-Triassic Victoria Group. These data will allow them to better determine provenance and basin fill, and to understand the nature of the now ice covered source regions in East and West Antarctica. The PIs will document possible unexposed/unknown crustal terrains in West Antarctica, investigate sub-glacial terrains of East Antarctica that were exposed to erosion during Devonian to Triassic time, and determine the evolving provenance and tectonic history of the Devonian to Triassic Gondwana basins in the central Transantarctic Mountains. Detrital zircon data will be interpreted in the context of fluvial dispersal/drainage patterns, sandstone petrology, and sequence stratigraphy. This interpretation will identify source terrains and evolving sediment provenances. Paleocurrent analysis and sequence stratigraphy will determine the timing and nature of changing tectonic conditions associated with development of the depositional basins and document the tectonic history of the Antarctic sector of Gondwana. Results from this study will answer questions about the Panthalassan margin of Gondwana, the Antarctic craton, and the Beacon depositional basin and their respective roles in global tectonics and the geologic and biotic history of Antarctica. The Beacon basin and adjacent uplands played an important role in the development and demise of Gondwanan glaciation through modification of polar climates, development of peat-forming mires, colonization of the landscape by plants, and were a migration route for Mesozoic vertebrates into Antarctica. \u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eBroader impacts: \u003cbr/\u003eThis proposal includes support for two graduate students who will participate in the fieldwork, and also support for other students to participate in laboratory studies. Results of the research will be incorporated in classroom teaching at the undergraduate and graduate levels and will help train the next generation of field geologists. Interactions with K-12 science classes will be achieved by video/computer conferencing and satellite phone connections from Antarctica. Another outreach effort is the developing cooperation between the Byrd Polar Research Center and the Center of Science and Industry in Columbus.", "east": 165.73, "geometry": "POINT(162.315 -84.05)", "instruments": "IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e SPECTROMETERS/RADIOMETERS \u003e ICP-MS; IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e SPECTROMETERS/RADIOMETERS \u003e XRF", "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "Not provided; LABORATORY", "locations": null, "north": -83.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences; Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Elliot, David; Isbell, John", "platforms": "Not provided; OTHER \u003e PHYSICAL MODELS \u003e LABORATORY", "repo": "PRR", "repositories": "PRR", "science_programs": null, "south": -85.1, "title": "Collaborative Research:Application of Detrital Zircon Isotope Characteristics and Sandstone Analysis of Beacon Strata to the Tectonic Evolution of the Antarctic Sector of Gondwana", "uid": "p0000312", "west": 158.9}, {"awards": "1039365 Rimmer, Susan", "bounds_geometry": null, "dataset_titles": "The Permian-Triassic Transition in Antarctica: Evaluating the Rates and Variability of Carbon Isotope Fluctuations in Terrestrial Organic Matter", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "600121", "doi": "10.15784/600121", "keywords": "Antarctica; Chemistry:rock; Chemistry:Rock; Geochemistry; Solid Earth; Transantarctic Mountains", "people": "Rimmer, Susan", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "The Permian-Triassic Transition in Antarctica: Evaluating the Rates and Variability of Carbon Isotope Fluctuations in Terrestrial Organic Matter", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/600121"}], "date_created": "Wed, 30 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "This project studies the Permian-Triassic extinction event as recorded in sedimentary rocks from the Transantarctic Mountains of Antarctica. Two hundred and fifty million years ago most life on Earth was wiped out in a geologic instant. The cause is a subject of great debate. Researchers have identified a unique stratigraphic section near Shackleton glacier laid down during the extinction event. Organic matter from these deposits will be analyzed by density gradient centrifugation (DGC), which will offer detailed information on the carbon isotope composition. The age of these layers will be precisely dated by U/Pb-zircon-dating of intercalated volcanics. Combined, these results will offer detailed constraints on the timing and duration of carbon isotope excursions during the extinction, and offer insight into the coupling of marine and terrestrial carbon cycles. The broader impacts of this project include graduate and undergraduate student research, K12 outreach and teacher involvement, and societal relevance of the results, since the P/T extinction may have been caused by phenomena such as methane release, which could accompany global warming.", "east": null, "geometry": null, "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "Not provided", "locations": null, "north": null, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Rimmer, Susan", "platforms": "Not provided", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": null, "title": "Collaborative Research: The Permian -Triassic Transition in Antarctica: Evaluating the Rates and Variability of Carbon Isotope Fluctuatios in Terrestrial Organic Matter", "uid": "p0000507", "west": null}, {"awards": "0634619 Hammer, William", "bounds_geometry": "POINT(166 -84)", "dataset_titles": "Continued Research on the Jurassic Vertebrate Fauna from the Beardmore Glacier Region of Antarctica", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "600062", "doi": "10.15784/600062", "keywords": "Antarctica; Beardmore Glacier; Biota; Geochronology; Solid Earth", "people": "Hammer, William R.", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Continued Research on the Jurassic Vertebrate Fauna from the Beardmore Glacier Region of Antarctica", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/600062"}], "date_created": "Fri, 02 Jul 2010 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Abstract\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eThis award supports preparation and study of fossil dinosaurs discovered on Mt. Kirkpatrick, Antarctica, during the 2003-04 field season. The 4,000 pounds of bone bearing matrix to be processed includes new pieces of Cryolophosaurus, a 22 foot long meat eating theropod, as well as a new unnamed sauropod dinosaur and other yet to be identified taxa. This project advances our understanding of dinosaur evolution and adaptation at the beginning of the reign of the dinosaurs, the Late Triassic and Early Jurassic. This period is poorly understood due to lack of fossils, which makes these fossils from Antarctica particularly unique. Also, since these fossils are from high paleolatitudes they will contribute to our understanding of past climates and the physiologic adaptations of dinosaurs to lengthy periods of darkness. \u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eThe broader impacts include outreach to the general public through museum exhibits and presentations.", "east": 166.0, "geometry": "POINT(166 -84)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "Not provided", "locations": null, "north": -84.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Hammer, William R.", "platforms": "Not provided", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -84.0, "title": "Continued Research on the Jurassic Vertebrate Fauna from the Beardmore Glacier Region of Antarctica", "uid": "p0000538", "west": 166.0}, {"awards": "0440919 Isbell, John; 0440954 Miller, Molly; 0551163 Sidor, Christian", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((159.3 -76.59,159.542 -76.59,159.784 -76.59,160.026 -76.59,160.268 -76.59,160.51 -76.59,160.752 -76.59,160.994 -76.59,161.236 -76.59,161.478 -76.59,161.72 -76.59,161.72 -76.811,161.72 -77.032,161.72 -77.253,161.72 -77.474,161.72 -77.695,161.72 -77.916,161.72 -78.137,161.72 -78.358,161.72 -78.579,161.72 -78.8,161.478 -78.8,161.236 -78.8,160.994 -78.8,160.752 -78.8,160.51 -78.8,160.268 -78.8,160.026 -78.8,159.784 -78.8,159.542 -78.8,159.3 -78.8,159.3 -78.579,159.3 -78.358,159.3 -78.137,159.3 -77.916,159.3 -77.695,159.3 -77.474,159.3 -77.253,159.3 -77.032,159.3 -76.811,159.3 -76.59))", "dataset_titles": "Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, University of Washington ID#s UWBM 88593-88601, UWBM 88617; Reconstructing the High Latitude Permian-Triassic: Life, Landscapes, and Climate Recorded in the Allan Hills, South Victoria Land, Antarctica", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "600045", "doi": "10.15784/600045", "keywords": "Allan Hills; Antarctica; Paleontology; Sample/collection Description; Sample/Collection Description; Solid Earth", "people": "Miller, Molly", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": "Allan Hills", "title": "Reconstructing the High Latitude Permian-Triassic: Life, Landscapes, and Climate Recorded in the Allan Hills, South Victoria Land, Antarctica", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/600045"}, {"dataset_uid": "000124", "doi": "", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "Burke Museum", "science_program": null, "title": "Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, University of Washington ID#s UWBM 88593-88601, UWBM 88617", "url": "http://www.washington.edu/burkemuseum/collections/"}], "date_created": "Mon, 12 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "This project studies fossils from two to three hundred million year old rocks in the Allan Hills area of Antarctica. Similar deposits from lower latitudes have been used to develop a model of Permo-Triassic climate, wherein melting of continental glaciers in the early Permian leads to the establishment of forests in a cold, wet climate. Conditions became warmer and dryer by the early Triassic, inhibiting plant growth until a moistening climate in the late Triassic allowed plant to flourish once again. This project will test and refine this model and investigate the general effects of climate change on landscapes and ecosystems using the unique exposures and well-preserved fossil and sediment records in the Allan Hills area. The area will be searched for fossil forests, vertebrate tracks and burrows, arthropod trackways, and subaqueously produced biogenic structures, which have been found in other areas of Antarctica. Finds will be integrated with previous paleobiologic studies to reconstruct and interpret ecosystems and their changes. Structures and rock types documenting the end phases of continental glaciation and other major episodic sedimentations will also be described and interpreted. This project contributes to understanding the: (1) evolution of terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems and how they were affected by the end-Permian extinction, (2) abundance and diversity of terrestrial and aquatic arthropods at high latitudes, (3) paleogeographic distribution and evolution of vertebrates and invertebrates as recorded by trace and body fossils; and (3) response of landscapes to changes in climate.\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eIn terms of broader impacts, this project will provide an outstanding introduction to field research for graduate and undergraduate students, and generate related opportunities for several undergraduates. It will also stimulate exchange of ideas among research and primarily undergraduate institutions. Novel outreach activities are also planned to convey Earth history to the general public, including a short film on the research process and products, and paintings by a professional scientific illustrator of Permo-Traissic landscapes and ecosystems.", "east": 161.72, "geometry": "POINT(160.51 -77.695)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "Not provided", "locations": null, "north": -76.59, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences; Antarctic Earth Sciences; Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": "PHANEROZOIC \u003e PALEOZOIC \u003e CARBONIFEROUS \u003e PENNSYLVANIAN; PHANEROZOIC \u003e PALEOZOIC \u003e PERMIAN; PHANEROZOIC \u003e MESOZOIC \u003e TRIASSIC", "persons": "Miller, Molly; Sidor, Christian; Isbell, John", "platforms": "Not provided", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "Burke Museum; USAP-DC", "science_programs": "Allan Hills", "south": -78.8, "title": "Collaborative Research: Reconstructing the High Latitude Permian-Triassic: Life, Landscapes, and Climate Recorded in the Allan Hills, South Victoria Land, Antarctica", "uid": "p0000207", "west": 159.3}, {"awards": "0229698 Hammer, William", "bounds_geometry": null, "dataset_titles": null, "datasets": null, "date_created": "Tue, 07 Aug 2007 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "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.", "east": null, "geometry": null, "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": false, "keywords": "Not provided", "locations": null, "north": null, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": "PHANEROZOIC \u003e MESOZOIC", "persons": "Hammer, William R.", "platforms": "Not provided", "repositories": null, "science_programs": null, "south": null, "title": "Vertebrate Paleontology of the Triassic to Jurassic Sedimentary Sequence in the Beardmore Glacier Area, Antarctica", "uid": "p0000366", "west": null}, {"awards": "0126146 Miller, Molly", "bounds_geometry": "POINT(171 -83.75)", "dataset_titles": null, "datasets": null, "date_created": "Wed, 20 Jun 2007 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "This award, provided by the Antarctic Geology and Geophysics Program of the Office of Polar Programs, provides funds for a study to investigate paleoenvironmental conditions during the late Paleozoic and Mesozoic in central interior Antarctica. The 4 km thick sequence of sedimentary rocks, known as the Beacon Supergroup, in the Beardmore Glacier area records 90 million years of Permian through Jurassic history of this high-paleolatitude sector of Gondwana. It accumulated in a foreland basin with a rate of subsidence approximately equal to the rate of deposition. The deposits have yielded diverse vertebrate fossils, in situ fossil forests, and exceptionally well preserved plant fossils. They give a unique glimpse of glacial, lake, and stream/river environments and ecosystems and preserve an unparalleled record of the depositional, paleoclimatic, and tectonic history of the area. The excellent work done to date provides a solid base of information on which to build understanding of conditions and processes.\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eThis project is a collaborative study of this stratigraphic section that will integrate sedimentologic, paleontologic, and ichnologic observations to answer focused questions, including: (1) What are the stratigraphic architecture and alluvial facies of Upper Permian to Jurassic rocks in the Beardmore area?; (2) In what tectonostratigraphic setting were these rocks deposited?; (3) Did vertebrates inhabit the cold, near-polar, Permian floodplains, as indicated by vertebrate burrows, and can these burrows be used to identify, for the first time, the presence of small early mammals in Mesozoic deposits?; and (4) How did bottom-dwelling animals in lakes and streams use substrate ecospace, how did ecospace use at these high paleolatitudes differ from ecospace use in equivalent environments at low paleolatitudes, and what does burrow distribution reveal about seasonality of river flow and thus about paleoclimate? Answers to these questions will (1) clarify the paleoclimatic, basinal, and tectonic history of this part of Gondwana, (2) elucidate the colonization of near-polar ecosystems by vertebrates, (3) provide new information on the environmental and paleolatitudinal distributions of early mammals, and (4) allow semi-quantitative assessment of the activity and abundance of bottom-dwelling animals in different freshwater environments at high and low latitudes. In summary, this project will contribute significantly to an understanding of paleobiology and paleoecology at a high latitude floodplain setting during a time in Earth history when the climate was much different than today.", "east": 171.0, "geometry": "POINT(171 -83.75)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": false, "keywords": "Beardmore Glacier; FIELD SURVEYS; Paleoclimate; Permian; Paleontology; FIELD INVESTIGATION; Sedimentologic; Ichnologic; Stratigraphic; Gondwana", "locations": "Beardmore Glacier", "north": -83.75, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": "PHANEROZOIC \u003e MESOZOIC \u003e JURASSIC; PHANEROZOIC \u003e PALEOZOIC \u003e PERMIAN; PHANEROZOIC \u003e MESOZOIC \u003e TRIASSIC", "persons": "Miller, Molly", "platforms": "LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e FIELD SITES \u003e FIELD INVESTIGATION; LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e FIELD SITES \u003e FIELD SURVEYS", "repositories": null, "science_programs": null, "south": -83.75, "title": "Collaborative Research: Late Paleozoic-Mesozoic Fauna, Environment, Climate and Basinal History: Beardmore Glacier Area, Transantarctic Mountains", "uid": "p0000736", "west": 171.0}, {"awards": "0229917 Becker, Luann", "bounds_geometry": null, "dataset_titles": null, "datasets": null, "date_created": "Wed, 24 Jan 2007 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "This award, provided by the Antarctic Geology and Geophysics Program of the Office of Polar Programs, supports an interdisciplinary study of fluvial sediments in Antarctica for evidence of what caused the greatest of all mass extinctions in the history of life at the Permian-Triassic boundary. This boundary was, until recently, difficult to locate and thought to be unequivocally disconformable in Antarctica. New studies, particularly of carbon isotopic chemostratigraphy and of paleosols and root traces as paleoecosystem indicators, together with improved fossil plant, reptile and pollen biostratigraphy, now suggest that the precise location of the boundary might be identified and have led to local discovery of iridium anomalies, shocked quartz, and fullerenes with extraterrestrial noble gases. These anomalies are associated with a distinctive claystone breccia bed, similar to strata known in South Africa and Australia, and taken as evidence of deforestation. There is already much evidence from Antarctica and elsewhere that the mass extinction on land was abrupt and synchronous with extinction in the ocean. The problem now is what led to such death and destruction. Carbon isotopic values are so low in these and other Permian-Triassic boundary sections that there was likely to have been some role for catastrophic destabilization of methane clathrates. Getting the modeled amount of methane out of likely reservoirs would require such catastrophic events as bolide impact, flood-basalt eruption or continental-shelf collapse, which have all independently been implicated in the mass extinction and for which there is independent evidence. Teasing apart these various hypotheses requires careful re-examination of beds that appear to represent the Permian-Triassic boundary, and search for more informative sequences, as was the case for the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary. This collaborative research on geochemistry and petrography of boundary beds and paleosols (by Retallack), on carbon isotopic variation through the boundary interval (by Jahren), and on fullerenes, iridium and helium (by Becker) is designed to test these ideas about the Permian-Triassic boundary in Antarctica and to shed light on processes which contributed to this largest of mass extinctions on Earth. Fieldwork for this research will be conducted in the central Transantarctic Mountains and in Southern Victoria Land with an initial objective of examining the stratigraphic sequences for continuity across the boundary. Stratigraphic continuity is a critical element that must exist for the work to be successful. If fieldwork indicates sufficiently continuous sections, the full analytical program will follow fieldwork.", "east": null, "geometry": null, "instruments": "IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e PROBES \u003e PROBES; SOLAR/SPACE OBSERVING INSTRUMENTS \u003e PARTICLE DETECTORS \u003e SEM", "is_usap_dc": false, "keywords": "Not provided", "locations": null, "north": null, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Earth Sciences", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Becker, Luann", "platforms": "Not provided", "repositories": null, "science_programs": null, "south": null, "title": "Collaborative Research: Permian-Triassic Mass Extinction in Antarctica", "uid": "p0000718", "west": null}]
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Project Title/Abstract/Map | NSF Award(s) | Date Created | PIs / Scientists | Dataset Links and Repositories | Abstract | Bounds Geometry | Geometry | Selected | Visible | |||
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Collaborative Research: Permian and Triassic Icehouse to Greenhouse Paleoenvironments and Paleobotany in the Shackleton Glacier Area, Antarctica
|
1443557 |
2021-12-31 | Isbell, John | The focus of this collaborative project is to collect fossil plants, wood, and sedimentary and chemical information from rocks in the Shackleton Glacier (SHK) area of Antarctica. This information will be used to reconstruct plant life and environments during the Permian and Triassic (~295-205 million years ago) in Antarctica. This time interval is important to study as Antarctica experienced a large glaciation in the Permian followed by deglaciation and recovery of plant and animal life, only to be subjected to the largest extinction in Earth history at the end of the Permian. After the extinction events, the climate in Antarctica continued to warm extensively and there were forests growing close to the paleo-South Pole. These ancient environments provide a natural laboratory in which to study the effects of climate change on plant life. The results of this project will advance the field in the areas of changing sedimentary patterns during global cooling and warming, as well as plant evolution during times following glaciation and during global warmth. This project will study the extent of the Gondwana glaciation in the SHK area, the invasion and subsequent flourishing of life following glacial retreat, and the eventual recovery of plant life after Late Permian extinction events. Only in Antarctica does a complete polar-to-near-polar succession occur across this climatic and biologic transition. The SHK area is an important one as it is one of the few regions in the world where the Permian-Triassic boundary (PTB) is exposed within terrestrial rocks. The field and lab work for this project is organized around three hypotheses that address fundamental issues in Earth history, including changes in the extent and diversity of flora during the Permian build up to the Late Paleozoic Ice Age, the possible diachronous nature of the PTB, and that poor fossil preservation during the Early Triassic has given a false impression that Antarctica was devoid of plants during this time. The hypotheses will be tested by integrating various types of paleobotanical approaches with detailed sedimentology, stratigraphy, and geochemistry. Compression floras and petrified wood will be collected (constrained by stratigraphy) both quantitatively and qualitatively in order to obtain biodiversity and abundance data, and as a data source for paleoecological analysis. Standard sedimentologic and stratigraphic analyses will be performed, as well as paleosol analyses, including mineralogic and major- and trace-element geochemistry. Collections will also be made for U-Pb zircon geochronology to better constrain geologic and biotic events through time. Results of the project will be incorporated into educational and outreach activities that are designed to include women and under-represented groups in the excitement of Antarctic earth sciences and paleontology, including workshops in Kansas and Wisconsin, as well as links to science classes during fieldwork. | POLYGON((-180 -85,-177.1 -85,-174.2 -85,-171.3 -85,-168.4 -85,-165.5 -85,-162.6 -85,-159.7 -85,-156.8 -85,-153.9 -85,-151 -85,-151 -85.2,-151 -85.4,-151 -85.6,-151 -85.8,-151 -86,-151 -86.2,-151 -86.4,-151 -86.6,-151 -86.8,-151 -87,-153.9 -87,-156.8 -87,-159.7 -87,-162.6 -87,-165.5 -87,-168.4 -87,-171.3 -87,-174.2 -87,-177.1 -87,180 -87,179 -87,178 -87,177 -87,176 -87,175 -87,174 -87,173 -87,172 -87,171 -87,170 -87,170 -86.8,170 -86.6,170 -86.4,170 -86.2,170 -86,170 -85.8,170 -85.6,170 -85.4,170 -85.2,170 -85,171 -85,172 -85,173 -85,174 -85,175 -85,176 -85,177 -85,178 -85,179 -85,-180 -85)) | POINT(-170.5 -86) | false | false | ||||
A non-amniote perspective on the recovery from the end-Permian extinction at high latitudes: paleobiology of Early Triassic temnospondyls from Antarctica
|
1947094 |
2021-06-30 | Sidor, Christian | No dataset link provided | Non-technical Abstract Around 252 million years ago, a major mass extinction wiped out over 90% of species on Earth. Coincident with this extinction, the Antarctic portion of the supercontinent of Pangea transitioned to a warmer climatic regime devoid of a permanent ice cap. Compared to lower latitudes, relatively little is known about the survivors of the extinction in Antarctica, although it has been hypothesized that the continents more polar location shielded it from the worst of the extinctions effects. As the result of a NSF-sponsored deep field camp in 2017/2018, a remarkable collection of vertebrate fossils was discovered in the rocks of the Shackleton Glacier region. This collection includes the best preserved and most complete materials of fossil amphibians ever recovered from Antarctica, including two previously undescribed species. This grant supports one postdoctoral researcher with expertise in fossil amphibians to describe and interpret the significance of these fossils, including their identification, relationships, and how they fit into the terrestrial ecosystem of Antarctica and other southern hemisphere terrestrial assemblages in light of the major reorganization of post-extinction environments. Historical collections of fossil amphibians will also be reviewed as part of this work. Undergraduate students at the University of Washington will be actively involved as part of this research and learn skills like hard tissue histology and CT data manipulation. Public engagement in Antarctic science will be accomplished at the University of Washington Burke Museum, which is the Washington State museum of natural history and culture. Specifically, a new exhibit on Antarctic amphibians will be developed as part of the paleontology gallery, which sees over 100,000 visitors per year. Technical Abstract This two-year project will examine the evolution of Triassic temnospondyls based on a remarkable collection of fossils recently recovered from the Shackleton Glacier region of Antarctica. Temnospondyls collected from the middle member of the Fremouw Formation are part of the first collection of identifiable tetrapod fossils from this stratigraphic interval. Thorough anatomical description and comparisons of these fossils will add new faunal information and also aid in determining if this horizon is Early or Middle Triassic in age. Exquisitely preserved temnospondyl material from the lower Fremouw Formation will permit more precise identification than previously possible and will provide insights into the earliest stages of their radiation in the extinction recovery interval. Overall, the Principal Investigator and Postdoctoral Researcher will spearhead an effort to revise the systematics of the Antarctic members of Temnospondyli and properly contextualize them in the framework of Triassic tetrapod evolution. The research team will also take advantage of the climate-sensitive nature of fossil amphibians to better understand patterns of seasonality at high-latitudes during the early Mesozoic by subjecting selected fossils to histological analysis. Preliminary data suggest that temnospondyls were exceptionally diverse and highly endemic immediately after the end-Permian extinction, when compared to their distribution before and after this interval. If confirmed, this macroevolutionary pattern could be used to predict the response of modern amphibians to future climate perturbations. Overall, this research will provide new insights into the vertebrate fauna of the Fremouw Formation, as well as shed light on the evolution of terrestrial ecosystems in southern Pangea in the wake of the Permian-Triassic mass extinction. As part of the broader impacts, the research team will help to develop an exhibit featuring some of the best preserved fossils from Antarctica to explain to the public how paleontologists use fossils and rocks to understand past climates like the Triassic 'hot-house' world that lacked permanent ice caps at the poles. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria. | None | None | false | false | |||
Collaborative Research: Understanding the evolution of high-latitude Permo-Triassic paleoenvironments and their vertebrate communities
|
1341475 1341304 1341645 2001033 1341376 |
2021-06-29 | Sidor, Christian; Smith, Nathan; Makovicky, Peter; Tabor, Neil |
|
Around 252 million years ago, a major mass extinction wiped out upwards of 90% of species on Earth. Coincident with this extinction, the Antarctic portion of the supercontinent of Pangea transitioned to a warmer climatic regime and became devoid of glaciers. Little is known about the survivors of the extinction in Antarctica, although it has been hypothesized that the continent's high latitude location shielded it from the worst of the extinction's effects. The Shackleton Glacier region is the best place to study this extinction in Antarctica because it exposes an abundance of correct age rocks and relevant fossils were found there in the 1960s and 1980s. For this research, paleontologists will study fossil vertebrates that span from about 260 to 240 million years ago to understand how life evolved at high latitudes in the face of massive climate change. In addition, geologists will use fossil soils and fossil plant matter to more precisely reconstruct the climate of Antarctica across this extinction boundary. These data will allow for a more complete understanding of ancient climates and how Antarctic life compared to that at lower latitudes. Undergraduate and graduate students will be actively involved in this research. Public engagement in Antarctic science will be accomplished at several natural history museums. This three-year project will examine the evolution of Permo-Triassic paleoenvironments and their vertebrate communities by conducting fieldwork in the Shackleton Glacier region of Antarctica. The team will characterize the Permo-Triassic boundary within Shackleton area strata and correlate it to other stratigraphic successions in the region (e.g. via stable carbon isotope stratigraphy of fossilized plant organic matter). The researchers will use multiple types of data to assess the paleoenvironment, including: 1) paleosol morphology; 2) paleosol geochemistry; 3) pedogenic organic matter; and 4) fossil wood chronology and stable isotopes. The Fremouw Formation of Antarctica preserves the highest paleolatitude (~70° S) tetrapod fauna of the entire Triassic and thus has the potential to shed important light on the evolution of polar life during the early Mesozoic. The biology of Triassic vertebrates from Antarctica will be compared to conspecifics from lower paleolatitudes through analysis of growth in bone and tusk histology. An interdisciplinary approach will be used to address relationships between environmental change, faunal composition, and biogeographic patterns in the context of the high-latitude strata preserved in the Buckley and Fremouw formations in the Shackleton Glacier region. | POLYGON((-180 -84,-178 -84,-176 -84,-174 -84,-172 -84,-170 -84,-168 -84,-166 -84,-164 -84,-162 -84,-160 -84,-160 -84.3,-160 -84.6,-160 -84.9,-160 -85.2,-160 -85.5,-160 -85.8,-160 -86.1,-160 -86.4,-160 -86.7,-160 -87,-162 -87,-164 -87,-166 -87,-168 -87,-170 -87,-172 -87,-174 -87,-176 -87,-178 -87,180 -87,178.5 -87,177 -87,175.5 -87,174 -87,172.5 -87,171 -87,169.5 -87,168 -87,166.5 -87,165 -87,165 -86.7,165 -86.4,165 -86.1,165 -85.8,165 -85.5,165 -85.2,165 -84.9,165 -84.6,165 -84.3,165 -84,166.5 -84,168 -84,169.5 -84,171 -84,172.5 -84,174 -84,175.5 -84,177 -84,178.5 -84,-180 -84)) | POINT(-177.5 -85.5) | false | false | |||
Preparation of Vertebrate Fossils from the Triassic of Antarctica
|
1146399 |
2015-10-27 | Sidor, Christian |
|
Intellectual Merit: The PI requests support for preparation of a large collection of vertebrate fossils recently recovered from the Central Transantarctic Mountains (CTAM) of Antarctica. These fossils will be used to place early Mesozoic Antarctic dinosaurs and other vertebrates into a global evolutionary, biogeographic, and faunal context; assess the degree of endemism in Triassic vertebrate faunas of Antarctica; constrain temporal relationships of the Triassic Antarctic vertebrate faunas; and refine the stratigraphic context for the Triassic Antarctic vertebrate assemblages to establish a paleoenvironmental framework. The lower and middle Triassic fossils offer a rare window on life in terrestrial environments at high-latitudes immediately after the Permian mass extinction. Broader impacts: The PI will use their fossils to educate the public about the geologic, climatic, and biologic history of Antarctica by visiting local schools. They will create and publish at least two new videos to the Burke Museum blog that relate the graduate student?s experience of fieldwork in Antarctica. They will also update the Antarctica section on the UWBM "Explore Your World" website with images and findings from their field season. | POLYGON((162.41 -84.27,163.409 -84.27,164.408 -84.27,165.407 -84.27,166.406 -84.27,167.405 -84.27,168.404 -84.27,169.403 -84.27,170.402 -84.27,171.401 -84.27,172.4 -84.27,172.4 -84.353,172.4 -84.436,172.4 -84.519,172.4 -84.602,172.4 -84.685,172.4 -84.768,172.4 -84.851,172.4 -84.934,172.4 -85.017,172.4 -85.1,171.401 -85.1,170.402 -85.1,169.403 -85.1,168.404 -85.1,167.405 -85.1,166.406 -85.1,165.407 -85.1,164.408 -85.1,163.409 -85.1,162.41 -85.1,162.41 -85.017,162.41 -84.934,162.41 -84.851,162.41 -84.768,162.41 -84.685,162.41 -84.602,162.41 -84.519,162.41 -84.436,162.41 -84.353,162.41 -84.27)) | POINT(167.405 -84.685) | false | false | |||
Collaborative Research: Antarctic Ecosystems across the Permian-Triassic Boundary: Integrating Paleobotany, Sedimentology, and Paleoecology
|
0943935 0943934 |
2014-09-23 | Isbell, John | Intellectual Merit:<br/>The focus of this proposal is to collect fossil plants and palynomorphs from Permian-Triassic (P-T) rocks of the central Transantarctic Mountains (CTM), together with detailed data on sedimentologic and paleoecologic depositional environments. Fossil plants are important climate proxies that offer a unique window into the past, and the CTM fossils are an important source of data on the ways that plants responded to a strongly seasonal, polar light regime during a time of global change. The proposed project uses paleobotanical expertise, integrated with detailed sedimentology and stratigraphy, to reconstruct Permian-Triassic plant communities and their paleoenvironments. This interdisciplinary approach could uncover details of Antarctica?s complex late Paleozoic and Mesozoic environmental and climatic history which included: 1) deglaciation, 2) development and evolution of a post-glacial landscape and biota, 3) environmental and biotic change associated with the end-Permian mass extinction, 4) environmental recovery in the earliest Triassic, 5) strong, possible runaway Triassic greenhouse, and 6) widespread orogenesis and development of a foreland basin system. The PIs will collect compression floras both quantitatively and qualitatively to obtain biodiversity and abundance data. Since silicified wood is also present, the PIs will analyze tree rings and growth in a warm, high-latitude environment for which there is no modern analogue. Fossil plants from the CTM can provide biological and environmental information to: 1) interpret paleoclimate when Gondwana moved from icehouse to greenhouse conditions; 2) trace floral evolution across the P-T boundary; 3) reconstruct Antarctic plant life; 4) further understanding of plant adaptations to high latitudes. The Intellectual Merit of the research includes: 1) tracing floral evolution after the retreat of glaciers; 2) examining floral composition and diversity across the PTB; and 3) obtaining data on the recovery of these ecosystems in the Early Triassic, as well as changes in floral cover and diversity in the Early-Middle Triassic. Antarctica is the only place on Earth that includes extensive outcrops of terrestrial rocks, combined with widespread and well-preserved plant fossils, which spans this crucial time period.<br/><br/>Broader impacts:<br/>The broader impacts include public outreach; teaching, and mentoring of women and underrepresented students; mentoring graduate student, postdoctoral, and new faculty women; development of an inquiry-based workshop on Antarctic paleoclimate with the Division of Education, KU Natural History Museum; continuing support of workshops for middle school girls in science via the Expanding Your Horizons Program, Emporia State University, and the TRIO program, KU; exploring Antarctic geosciences through video/computer links from McMurdo Station and satellite phone conferences from the field with K-12 science classes in Wisconsin and Kansas, and through participation in the NSF Research Experiences for Teachers program at the University of Wisconsin. | None | None | false | false | ||||
Collaborative Research:Application of Detrital Zircon Isotope Characteristics and Sandstone Analysis of Beacon Strata to the Tectonic Evolution of the Antarctic Sector of Gondwana
|
0944662 0944532 |
2013-12-05 | Elliot, David; Isbell, John |
|
Intellectual Merit: <br/>The goal of this project is to address relationships between foreland basins and their tectonic settings by combining detrital zircon isotope characteristics and sedimentological data. To accomplish this goal the PIs will develop a detailed geochronology and analyze Hf- and O-isotopes of detrital zircons in sandstones of the Devonian Taylor Group and the Permian-Triassic Victoria Group. These data will allow them to better determine provenance and basin fill, and to understand the nature of the now ice covered source regions in East and West Antarctica. The PIs will document possible unexposed/unknown crustal terrains in West Antarctica, investigate sub-glacial terrains of East Antarctica that were exposed to erosion during Devonian to Triassic time, and determine the evolving provenance and tectonic history of the Devonian to Triassic Gondwana basins in the central Transantarctic Mountains. Detrital zircon data will be interpreted in the context of fluvial dispersal/drainage patterns, sandstone petrology, and sequence stratigraphy. This interpretation will identify source terrains and evolving sediment provenances. Paleocurrent analysis and sequence stratigraphy will determine the timing and nature of changing tectonic conditions associated with development of the depositional basins and document the tectonic history of the Antarctic sector of Gondwana. Results from this study will answer questions about the Panthalassan margin of Gondwana, the Antarctic craton, and the Beacon depositional basin and their respective roles in global tectonics and the geologic and biotic history of Antarctica. The Beacon basin and adjacent uplands played an important role in the development and demise of Gondwanan glaciation through modification of polar climates, development of peat-forming mires, colonization of the landscape by plants, and were a migration route for Mesozoic vertebrates into Antarctica. <br/><br/>Broader impacts: <br/>This proposal includes support for two graduate students who will participate in the fieldwork, and also support for other students to participate in laboratory studies. Results of the research will be incorporated in classroom teaching at the undergraduate and graduate levels and will help train the next generation of field geologists. Interactions with K-12 science classes will be achieved by video/computer conferencing and satellite phone connections from Antarctica. Another outreach effort is the developing cooperation between the Byrd Polar Research Center and the Center of Science and Industry in Columbus. | POLYGON((158.9 -83,159.583 -83,160.266 -83,160.949 -83,161.632 -83,162.315 -83,162.998 -83,163.681 -83,164.364 -83,165.047 -83,165.73 -83,165.73 -83.21,165.73 -83.42,165.73 -83.63,165.73 -83.84,165.73 -84.05,165.73 -84.26,165.73 -84.47,165.73 -84.68,165.73 -84.89,165.73 -85.1,165.047 -85.1,164.364 -85.1,163.681 -85.1,162.998 -85.1,162.315 -85.1,161.632 -85.1,160.949 -85.1,160.266 -85.1,159.583 -85.1,158.9 -85.1,158.9 -84.89,158.9 -84.68,158.9 -84.47,158.9 -84.26,158.9 -84.05,158.9 -83.84,158.9 -83.63,158.9 -83.42,158.9 -83.21,158.9 -83)) | POINT(162.315 -84.05) | false | false | |||
Collaborative Research: The Permian -Triassic Transition in Antarctica: Evaluating the Rates and Variability of Carbon Isotope Fluctuatios in Terrestrial Organic Matter
|
1039365 |
2013-01-30 | Rimmer, Susan |
|
This project studies the Permian-Triassic extinction event as recorded in sedimentary rocks from the Transantarctic Mountains of Antarctica. Two hundred and fifty million years ago most life on Earth was wiped out in a geologic instant. The cause is a subject of great debate. Researchers have identified a unique stratigraphic section near Shackleton glacier laid down during the extinction event. Organic matter from these deposits will be analyzed by density gradient centrifugation (DGC), which will offer detailed information on the carbon isotope composition. The age of these layers will be precisely dated by U/Pb-zircon-dating of intercalated volcanics. Combined, these results will offer detailed constraints on the timing and duration of carbon isotope excursions during the extinction, and offer insight into the coupling of marine and terrestrial carbon cycles. The broader impacts of this project include graduate and undergraduate student research, K12 outreach and teacher involvement, and societal relevance of the results, since the P/T extinction may have been caused by phenomena such as methane release, which could accompany global warming. | None | None | false | false | |||
Continued Research on the Jurassic Vertebrate Fauna from the Beardmore Glacier Region of Antarctica
|
0634619 |
2010-07-02 | Hammer, William R. |
|
Abstract<br/><br/>This award supports preparation and study of fossil dinosaurs discovered on Mt. Kirkpatrick, Antarctica, during the 2003-04 field season. The 4,000 pounds of bone bearing matrix to be processed includes new pieces of Cryolophosaurus, a 22 foot long meat eating theropod, as well as a new unnamed sauropod dinosaur and other yet to be identified taxa. This project advances our understanding of dinosaur evolution and adaptation at the beginning of the reign of the dinosaurs, the Late Triassic and Early Jurassic. This period is poorly understood due to lack of fossils, which makes these fossils from Antarctica particularly unique. Also, since these fossils are from high paleolatitudes they will contribute to our understanding of past climates and the physiologic adaptations of dinosaurs to lengthy periods of darkness. <br/><br/>The broader impacts include outreach to the general public through museum exhibits and presentations. | POINT(166 -84) | POINT(166 -84) | false | false | |||
Collaborative Research: Reconstructing the High Latitude Permian-Triassic: Life, Landscapes, and Climate Recorded in the Allan Hills, South Victoria Land, Antarctica
|
0440919 0440954 0551163 |
2009-10-12 | Miller, Molly; Sidor, Christian; Isbell, John | This project studies fossils from two to three hundred million year old rocks in the Allan Hills area of Antarctica. Similar deposits from lower latitudes have been used to develop a model of Permo-Triassic climate, wherein melting of continental glaciers in the early Permian leads to the establishment of forests in a cold, wet climate. Conditions became warmer and dryer by the early Triassic, inhibiting plant growth until a moistening climate in the late Triassic allowed plant to flourish once again. This project will test and refine this model and investigate the general effects of climate change on landscapes and ecosystems using the unique exposures and well-preserved fossil and sediment records in the Allan Hills area. The area will be searched for fossil forests, vertebrate tracks and burrows, arthropod trackways, and subaqueously produced biogenic structures, which have been found in other areas of Antarctica. Finds will be integrated with previous paleobiologic studies to reconstruct and interpret ecosystems and their changes. Structures and rock types documenting the end phases of continental glaciation and other major episodic sedimentations will also be described and interpreted. This project contributes to understanding the: (1) evolution of terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems and how they were affected by the end-Permian extinction, (2) abundance and diversity of terrestrial and aquatic arthropods at high latitudes, (3) paleogeographic distribution and evolution of vertebrates and invertebrates as recorded by trace and body fossils; and (3) response of landscapes to changes in climate.<br/><br/>In terms of broader impacts, this project will provide an outstanding introduction to field research for graduate and undergraduate students, and generate related opportunities for several undergraduates. It will also stimulate exchange of ideas among research and primarily undergraduate institutions. Novel outreach activities are also planned to convey Earth history to the general public, including a short film on the research process and products, and paintings by a professional scientific illustrator of Permo-Traissic landscapes and ecosystems. | POLYGON((159.3 -76.59,159.542 -76.59,159.784 -76.59,160.026 -76.59,160.268 -76.59,160.51 -76.59,160.752 -76.59,160.994 -76.59,161.236 -76.59,161.478 -76.59,161.72 -76.59,161.72 -76.811,161.72 -77.032,161.72 -77.253,161.72 -77.474,161.72 -77.695,161.72 -77.916,161.72 -78.137,161.72 -78.358,161.72 -78.579,161.72 -78.8,161.478 -78.8,161.236 -78.8,160.994 -78.8,160.752 -78.8,160.51 -78.8,160.268 -78.8,160.026 -78.8,159.784 -78.8,159.542 -78.8,159.3 -78.8,159.3 -78.579,159.3 -78.358,159.3 -78.137,159.3 -77.916,159.3 -77.695,159.3 -77.474,159.3 -77.253,159.3 -77.032,159.3 -76.811,159.3 -76.59)) | POINT(160.51 -77.695) | false | false | ||||
Vertebrate Paleontology of the Triassic to Jurassic Sedimentary Sequence in the Beardmore Glacier Area, Antarctica
|
0229698 |
2007-08-07 | Hammer, William R. | No dataset link provided | 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. | None | None | false | false | |||
Collaborative Research: Late Paleozoic-Mesozoic Fauna, Environment, Climate and Basinal History: Beardmore Glacier Area, Transantarctic Mountains
|
0126146 |
2007-06-20 | Miller, Molly | No dataset link provided | This award, provided by the Antarctic Geology and Geophysics Program of the Office of Polar Programs, provides funds for a study to investigate paleoenvironmental conditions during the late Paleozoic and Mesozoic in central interior Antarctica. The 4 km thick sequence of sedimentary rocks, known as the Beacon Supergroup, in the Beardmore Glacier area records 90 million years of Permian through Jurassic history of this high-paleolatitude sector of Gondwana. It accumulated in a foreland basin with a rate of subsidence approximately equal to the rate of deposition. The deposits have yielded diverse vertebrate fossils, in situ fossil forests, and exceptionally well preserved plant fossils. They give a unique glimpse of glacial, lake, and stream/river environments and ecosystems and preserve an unparalleled record of the depositional, paleoclimatic, and tectonic history of the area. The excellent work done to date provides a solid base of information on which to build understanding of conditions and processes.<br/><br/>This project is a collaborative study of this stratigraphic section that will integrate sedimentologic, paleontologic, and ichnologic observations to answer focused questions, including: (1) What are the stratigraphic architecture and alluvial facies of Upper Permian to Jurassic rocks in the Beardmore area?; (2) In what tectonostratigraphic setting were these rocks deposited?; (3) Did vertebrates inhabit the cold, near-polar, Permian floodplains, as indicated by vertebrate burrows, and can these burrows be used to identify, for the first time, the presence of small early mammals in Mesozoic deposits?; and (4) How did bottom-dwelling animals in lakes and streams use substrate ecospace, how did ecospace use at these high paleolatitudes differ from ecospace use in equivalent environments at low paleolatitudes, and what does burrow distribution reveal about seasonality of river flow and thus about paleoclimate? Answers to these questions will (1) clarify the paleoclimatic, basinal, and tectonic history of this part of Gondwana, (2) elucidate the colonization of near-polar ecosystems by vertebrates, (3) provide new information on the environmental and paleolatitudinal distributions of early mammals, and (4) allow semi-quantitative assessment of the activity and abundance of bottom-dwelling animals in different freshwater environments at high and low latitudes. In summary, this project will contribute significantly to an understanding of paleobiology and paleoecology at a high latitude floodplain setting during a time in Earth history when the climate was much different than today. | POINT(171 -83.75) | POINT(171 -83.75) | false | false | |||
Collaborative Research: Permian-Triassic Mass Extinction in Antarctica
|
0229917 |
2007-01-24 | Becker, Luann | No dataset link provided | This award, provided by the Antarctic Geology and Geophysics Program of the Office of Polar Programs, supports an interdisciplinary study of fluvial sediments in Antarctica for evidence of what caused the greatest of all mass extinctions in the history of life at the Permian-Triassic boundary. This boundary was, until recently, difficult to locate and thought to be unequivocally disconformable in Antarctica. New studies, particularly of carbon isotopic chemostratigraphy and of paleosols and root traces as paleoecosystem indicators, together with improved fossil plant, reptile and pollen biostratigraphy, now suggest that the precise location of the boundary might be identified and have led to local discovery of iridium anomalies, shocked quartz, and fullerenes with extraterrestrial noble gases. These anomalies are associated with a distinctive claystone breccia bed, similar to strata known in South Africa and Australia, and taken as evidence of deforestation. There is already much evidence from Antarctica and elsewhere that the mass extinction on land was abrupt and synchronous with extinction in the ocean. The problem now is what led to such death and destruction. Carbon isotopic values are so low in these and other Permian-Triassic boundary sections that there was likely to have been some role for catastrophic destabilization of methane clathrates. Getting the modeled amount of methane out of likely reservoirs would require such catastrophic events as bolide impact, flood-basalt eruption or continental-shelf collapse, which have all independently been implicated in the mass extinction and for which there is independent evidence. Teasing apart these various hypotheses requires careful re-examination of beds that appear to represent the Permian-Triassic boundary, and search for more informative sequences, as was the case for the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary. This collaborative research on geochemistry and petrography of boundary beds and paleosols (by Retallack), on carbon isotopic variation through the boundary interval (by Jahren), and on fullerenes, iridium and helium (by Becker) is designed to test these ideas about the Permian-Triassic boundary in Antarctica and to shed light on processes which contributed to this largest of mass extinctions on Earth. Fieldwork for this research will be conducted in the central Transantarctic Mountains and in Southern Victoria Land with an initial objective of examining the stratigraphic sequences for continuity across the boundary. Stratigraphic continuity is a critical element that must exist for the work to be successful. If fieldwork indicates sufficiently continuous sections, the full analytical program will follow fieldwork. | None | None | false | false |